Love In Peculiar Places
by Besotted Brunettes
Summary: Who would have thought that love would find me...while wearing penny loafers? Bella Swan is the shy, new girl at PLB who stumbles across something, or someone, who would change everything forever.
1. Prologue

**Oh my God, our first story! Okay, I'm going to control myself…for now.**

**Do I look like Stephenie Meyer? I mean, you can't see me, but still, I am not **_**that**_** genius. So clearly, I do not own any of the Twilight Characters.**

Prologue:

BPOV

_Life sucks and then you die, right? That's if you're lucky._

I had always used this saying as a way of life, as morbid as it sounds. It always made me feel better about the situations going on in my life, when I thought, _Well, I guess this isn't _so_ bad_.

But this was how I thought of life mere months ago, before my hold onto the world had shifted. Before my plans didn't gravitate around only myself anymore, but around _him_. I didn't even need to so much think his name to get the familiar _I'm-dreaming-but-I'll-hang –you-by-you-toes-if-you-pinch-me_ feeling.

It was so odd to me, to have this pull in an entirely different direction than I had ever imagined. And to think, I had managed to find this unexpected and overwhelming bliss in a place that I had loathed with such passion.

In private high school.

In the most hideous, librarian-looking outfit known to man, I had found that type of love that was like a stab of light to an eternally blinded set of eyes.

I had found true and unyielding love, _in penny loafers. _


	2. Day One in High School Hell

**Hey all my readers (which happen to be the grand total of one). We're not the awesomeness of Stephenie Meyer so, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

"No one can make you inferior without your consent." Now I was all for this statement. At least I was until I realized that maybe Eleanor Roosevelt didn't live in the perverse and twisted world that I am currently residing in.

My eyes were focused on the clusters of them all, all so unique and eclectic groups that so clearly needed to be separated.

The cliques.

What was the funniest part though, was the fact that they had to wear the same vomit-inducing uniform that everyone was forced to endure.

Each and every one of them had adorned their navy-blue blazer and paisley tie ensemble, but you could see their _attempts_ at variation.

In fact, it was a comical sight. You could clearly see who was dying to scream and shout about the Jonas Brothers, and the ones who were contemplating whether or not to shoot the others or themselves first. I knew right away whom I was going to get along with.

I sighed, which felt like the thousandth time I had done that since I had arrived in this dismal town. I thought back on my quite abrupt decision to rid myself of the fast and bustling Big Apple.

My mother. Just thinking of her put a rueful smile on my priorly forlorn expression. She had recently married again and though I had nothing against Phil, I _did _have something against the somewhat disturbing noises heard during the night.

I tried and failed to rid my mind of the time that they had both walked out of their bedroom. Completely covered in **FEATHERS.** I _soo_didn't want to know. So being the good and thoughtful daughter that I am (cough cough), I sent myself to live with my father, whom though I had never spent much time with, felt a kinship with him over our certain quietness and similar, wry humor.

My mother had begged me to stay of course, why wouldn't she? I _was_ her only child. But I knew how much it would mean to her to actually get to live as _newlyweds._

Ugh. NOT thinking about how feathers _possibly _could have gotten involved.

The only problem, however, about moving in with my father was his residence in WASHINGTON.

And I'm not talking about the lush and gorgeous historical city where blossoms are in bloom and our President rules. I'm talking about WASHINGTON STATE. The Olympic Peninsula to be exact. Where the days of sunshine are like days expected to see grape juice falling from the sky.

So here I was in **Forks, Washington. **I wanted to collect as many spoons as I could find and shove it in everyone's faces. I don't know why, but it sounds like fun.

Another problem: my god-forsaken grades. Why God, oh why oh why God was I blessed with such a high IQ level? Because of my grades, I was graciously accepted—late in the year no less— to the Academy for Prestigious Ladies and Boys. More commonly known as PLB.

Could it get worse? I don't think it would be possible.

So as I made my walk of shame as the scholarship-student/new girl, I didn't notice the dozens of pairs of eyes focused on my five-foot-four frame. I didn't even waver.

Yeah, I had never been good at lying, even to myself. After retrieving my schedule and map form the seemingly sweet secretary, I found myself walking through the halls receiving intrusive looks and sideways glances.

After finding my locker, I set out for my homeroom. But before I could so much as glance in the direction I was planning on, I was overwhelmed in the hierarchy that is high school.

Despite the hideous uniform that was tugging uncomfortably at my neck, the hues of the cliques, all clustered in different areas, was surprisingly striking.

Shaking my head of the odd thoughts, I walked toward where I believed my homeroom was. As I tried to inconspicuously sneak in, about forty pairs of eyes assaulted me the moment I stepped through the threshold.

"Um, excuse me?" I asked, wincing at the effects of not speaking for a long time had on my voice. The graying woman whipped her head in my direction upon hearing my voice.

"Oh, you must be Isabella, it's nice to meet you and welcome to Forks."

Welcome schmelcome, I thought but said, "Thank you, Mrs.…?"

"Varner. Your seat is right this way."

I focused don not tripping as best I could and forcing my face to cool down somewhat, to no avail.

Apparently, I got the friendly homeroom that wanted to know everything about me and question everything from my hairstyle to my brand of lemonade.

Well, aren't I just blessed?

There were some who I could see myself not wanting to Spork, like Angela Webber, who was more shy like me. Then there were people like Jessica Stanley, whom seemed to have troubling keeping their mouths closed.

I somehow managed to make it to lunch, and it had never seemed like the morning could have lasted any longer.

For whatever reason be, the directors of this fine establishment which I was now attending decided to separate boys and girls classes from one another, yet still have lunch together. I had guessed it as an attempt to keep the raging hormones in check, yet the coed lunch completely defeated that purpose.

It makes me sad that all my working and striving in school led to going to an institution that in itself was contradictory.

I managed to fight my way through the mass of people and towards the direction of the cafeteria.

But before I could try to figure out where and with whom I was going to sit, a clear ringing voice sounded over the mayhem.

"Bella!!"

I froze in slight shock as a blur of pure beauty and innocence appeared in front of me.

There was a girl standing before me, her very being shaking with excitement. Her light green eyes were lit up and moving up and down my frame. I felt my face become considerably hotter.

"Um… how do you know my name?"

That seemed like a dumb question, even to my own ears. Of course she knew my name. I was the freak student accepted late into the year. But she didn't call me Isabella, which everyone today had taken to calling me.

Her eyes flashed in an anxious manner, but you could see the energy ready to burst out besides the emotion her eyes conveyed.

"Oh, I'm so silly! Here I am, a complete stranger, walking up to you wanting to talk your ear off," she said with one breath, yet executing the words with perfect accuracy. I noticed that she had skipped my question, but decided not to pursue it. I'm sure she had heard my name preference from all the people I had earlier corrected. "I'm Alice, Alice Brandon."

Instead of a normal handshake, she grasped my hand in hers and squealed a little. "It's nice to meet you." I said, trying to show some of my manners

"I can't tell you how excited I've been to meet you. Ask anyone and they'll tell you how I can't seem to shut up about it."

I believed her. Though I had just met Alice, I got the impression that when she wanted to say something, she'd shout it She reminded me of…but I shook that away before the tears could build.

I didn't know what to say, and I realized that she still had a grip on my hand.

"Well come on silly, we're gonna be late for lunch. Will you sit with me today?"

After trying to keep up with her quick words, I felt a surge of relief that I wouldn't have to wander the cafeteria alone until I found a seat. "Of course."

I liked Alice. Despite her…exuberance, she didn't seem like the gossip-hungry girls I had met today. She seemed like a genuine person and I couldn't be happier to have at least one, true ally here.

"Now, you're probably wondering why I'm so excited," she said this like she only said it to appease, to whom, I don't know. As she slowly but surely tugged me towards the cafeteria, I saw her cast her eyes downwards, as if she were hiding an emotion she didn't want to give away. Again, I ignored this, I _did_ tend to over-analyze things.

She pulled me—with a surprisingly strong grip for such a tiny specimen into the far too large cafeteria. Alice seemed to stand out of all the cliques, even in all their differences among them. She was Alice, I suppose, and I had the feeling I was soon going to learn just what was entailed with that.

Alice danced over to a table on the side, near the all-glass wall. No, not even the cafeteria could be somewhat of a semblance to my old school, or any other school, really.

At the table, which seemed to be her destination were three other people. If you could call them that! What _was _this place that produced these other-worldly-looking people? I mean, really, God, I have enough self-conscious issues, I don't need to be hit like _that!!_

Before me was a girl, or woman rather, of divine beauty. She had alabaster skin, that was unblemished and smooth looking. Her blonde tumbles of hair wafted down her back, looking like spun gold. She was speaking with the other two people, men, also of godly appearance, but upon seeing this version of Aphrodite reincarnated, I couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the small world I apparently lived in. As the woman spoke, a familiar smile spread across her flawless lips. Her eyes, in their deep blue and purple color that could only be described as violets, lit up as her face did and she truly looked like and angel.

But I had seen this angel before. I had seen this euphoric look on those perfect features and marveled at this once again. I had almost forgotten that Alice was with me—almost, because she still had a killer grip on my hand—and skipped ahead of her, to the table where the mischievous violet eyes of this goddess sat.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Rosalie Hale."

**Maybe we forgot to mention this last time, but please REVIEW!**

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	3. The Good Old Big Apple

**Hey readers! (Now a grand total of two!!) I hope you don't mind that we're not Stephenie Meyer so unfortunately we don't own the amazing stupendous bedazzlement that is Twilight!! (yes, Noelle I (Nicole) went there again)**

The living goddess looked up at the sound of my voice and her eyes widened slightly, then crinkled with the radiant smile that overtook her face.

"And if it isn't the little misfit all the way from the Big Apple to grace us with her presence."

We held each other's gaze a moment longer before squealing simultaneously.

My, "I can't believe it!" was clouded over by the "what are you doing here?" that she said, as we both dove to hug each other.

We both laughed together at the amazingness of it all.

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

_Rosalie Hale had been my best friend. A few years ago, while walking through Washington Square Park, a boy who looked to be about my age approached me. He only stood there for a minute before forcing out in a scratchy tone, "My friend told me to tell you that he thinks you're hot."_

_Now, I wasn't a _complete _idiot and I knew there was no friend. Of course under his harsh gaze, my face heated up and I was intimidated and unsure of what to do. In my moment of indecision, he stepped closer just as a smooth, slender hand grasped mine._

_"Yeah, she is," that clear voice rang out. _

_My head whipped around to see the sight of Rosalie Hale, my school's most envied girl, smiling triumphantly, almost smug._

_Rosalie Hale was one of _those_ girls. The girls who didn't desire, but were desired. She intimidated me of course; I mean she was _Rosalie Hale.

_So you could empathize with my utter shock when she continued with, "Sorry I'm late sweetie," she then leaned down and _kissed me on the cheek_. "Did I miss anything?" I did nothing but gape at her and eventually perceived the slight look that she was giving me as 'play along.'_

_"Um, no, nothing…I was just…" I trailed off, turning towards the creepy guy. His jaw was slackened and his eyes were focused one moment on our linked hands, the next to our faces. "Leaving."_

_"Oh, well, good," her voice rang out again, "we're gonna be late to meet the rest of the girls. I can't wait!" As she said this, I wondered how her words could be perceived by the creep and attempted to hold in my giggle. Despite the fact that I knew almost nothing about who she really was, I knew Rosalie Hale was someone who I would always respect. _

_"Well, bye," I said to the guy, still standing there. I mean, really, could someone just pick his jaw up, _please?

_Rosalie skipped with me in tow, back in the direction she had come, and didn't stop or let go of my hand until we reached the corner of fifth._

_We stopped to catch our breath for a moment, and then broke down in hysterical laughter. _

_She even had a beautiful laugh. It was almost _annoying_ how perfect she was._

_After the tears of mirth running down our faces had faded a little, she straightened up and addressed me._

_"Um, hi, I'm Rosalie Hale."_

_"Oh, I know," I rushed to say, "I mean, I know who you are, but I don't _know_ you know you…you know?" She stared at me a moment before we started to laugh again. "I'm Bella Swan and I can't _tell_ you how glad I am for you saving me when you did."_

_"Oh," she responded, a smile slowly spreading across her face, "I know."_

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

_Ever since that moment, we had become inseparable. To say that our classmates were surprised to see _Rosalie Hale_ and the school pariah together was an understatement. _

_But, really, why would we care? Rose was…. Rose. That was the only way to say it. She was confidant yet demure. She was beautiful yet humble. She was…. everything I _wasn't.

_But we complimented each other. We were chocolate and vanilla. (Of course I was chocolate. She is _insane_ for liking that other stuff.) She was Rose and I was Bella. _

_You could ask anyone, that at school, or anywhere else, you _rarely_ saw one without the other. _

_But then, as I have learned, happiness never lasts, not truly, anyway. _

_Rose's father had passed away a few years prior to our first meeting, and she had never seemed affected by it. _

_What she _was _affected by, however, was her mother's rush to find new money. _

_In Lillian Hale's search for money-through-matrimony, the Kings were the prime game. They were one of the old New York families that were a household name, next to the Vanderbilt's. _

_Mr. King, as I had always called him because I had never been introduced really, had lost his first picturesque trophy-wife years earlier, and was on the market for a replacement. _

_The King's had offered Rose's mother royalty and she took it willingly, no matter the cost to her family._

_It had started out innocently enough, so that Rose was unaffected. Then _the 4-carat rock—w_hich was the only thing you could call it—landed on Lillian's slim finger. _

_Though I had only seen glimpses of Mr. King, he seemed to be an all right guy. Even Rose had never minded him much, because they never bothered each other. _

_His son, however, did bother us. _Extremely.

Everyone _knew of Royce King. Rather, they had heard of his reputation._

_With his fair hair and light eyes, he looked like he deserved all the glory that came with being a king (no pun intended.) he was known as the infamous Royce King, Jr., the boy who broke hearts from Brooklyn to the Bronx {and everything in between.}_

_Even with his playboy status, no one had ever really suspected him capable of doing anything terrible._

_Boy, would they be in for a surprise. You could see the conceited gleam in his eye, the possessiveness that overtook him as he first laid eyes on Rose. Apparently, he didn't have any _sisterly_ feelings for her at all. She rejected all of his advances, obviously, usually with a sharp knee to the groin (thank you tae kwon do!) I was usually there, since, as always, I was where Rose was. _

_Her refusal of his advances had finally boiled him over the edge._

_I was at home, on a Friday night, when my cell phone alerted me that Rose was calling. I answered and thought someone had misdialed._

_~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~_

_I was at the New York Medical Center in fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. I counted. It was the only thing that had kept me from surrendering to the oblivion that was threatening to take me under. _

_In the ICU, I saw Mrs. Hale crying in a corner. Not a typical sight for a woman who once paid $2,000 for a _facial.

_I approached her warily, and apparently she had heard my footsteps because she looked up and broke down in sobs again. I wanted to join her. _

_I held her tightly and she let me. She had never taken a particular liking to me, but as we waited, we had a bond for a moment. _

_We were petrified to say the least. We were numb. We needed our Rose. _

_A doctor with a nondescript face came towards us and Lillian broke down again. _

_She only muttered, "she's family," which left me astonished, but I focused on the words forming on the man's lips. _

_"…She's very lucky to have survived…" was all that I heard before I cried out in painful relief and fell to the floor/_

_Rose had three broken ribs, a fractured leg in two places, a dislocated hipbone, and a mild concussion. _

_Her face, however, stayed completely unmarked by that _thing. It_ didn't even deserve to be called a man. I later found out that _it_ had told her he "had not wanted to waste such a pretty little face."_

_Somewhat a huge relief, although he had hurt her in terrible ways, he had not done what I'm sure she feared he would do. I could imagine her, all alone at their penthouse, cowering in the corner, _it_ with a disgusting smirk on _its_ face…_

_She had become conscious not long after the…_incident_. I never fully got to tell her how much I would have killed her if she had died…well, um, you get the point. _

_I would also never get the chance to fully talk to her about anything else for that matter either._

_Mr. King didn't seem to show as much sympathy towards his future stepdaughter as I did. He seemed much more concerned about the reputation that his _perfect son_ had just jeopardized. _

_Now, you may remember me saying that I never got to really meet Mr. King, so I didn't really have a good judgment of his character. _

_Any benefit of the doubt I had previously had for him went out the window like a Louisville slugger out of Shea Stadium the moment he opened his mouth that Sunday morning._

_In an effort to conceal the _'accident,' _as he so erroneously put it, there was a change that altered life as I knew it. _

_Okay, maybe just a _little_ overdramatic, but come on, I was fifteen tears old and losing my best friend, my _only_ friend to the…_West Coast_. _

_Mr. King demanded that they all leave New York _immediately_, under the pretense of new land developments in L.A._

_Land developments my Aunt Felicia. _

_He was moving all of them, —and I do mean _all_ of them (coughinhumansonofamothercough)—to protect him and his…_thing.

_Also, with this _brilliant_ plan came absolutely no contact with _anyone_ (this rule only applied to Rose_, of course._)_

_To New York, this was just the loss of another two great families to the west. _

_To Lillian Hale, it was the only thing that seemed plausible to retain loyalty._

_To me, it was my undoing. _

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

I couldn't even speak with her after she had been released from the hospital. So to see her now, healthy and beautiful and…Rosalie again…I found my eyes starting to fill up.

Rose embraces me tighter as she, too, went through the whirlwind of memories.

Finally, we let each other go and smiled.

Distantly, I heard Alice say to someone, "I knew she was gonna be pretty."

Rose and I both answered, "Yeah, she is!" before breaking down into laughter.

**Thank you soo much May-loves-Edward-Cullen and ... for reviewing!**

**I (Nicole) hope to get more reviews (...and so does Noelle) so you know what to do if you want a third chapter…**


	4. Familiar Faces and Fun New Places

Okay, maybe we did not make ourselves clear last time. YOU MUST UPDATE TO GET NEW CHAPTERS! We only got 2 reviews for the entire story! Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 3

BPOV

As I finally looked away from my long lost friend, I saw another familiar face I had not been expecting.

"Jasper!" I squealed and ran for the older boy. Jasper, Rose's twin, had also become one of my closest friends during our time in New York. He was stunning, _of_ _course_, but he had never been more than a brother to me. He was always understanding and thought rationally when Rose and I were anything but.

He was…Jasper. Just like Rose was Rose.

Also, a huge plus in my book, he _lived_ for chocolate, unlike his ignorant little sister. However, my time with Jasper was even more short-lived than my time with Rose.

Jasper had gotten into…well, let's just say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and had landed himself in Juvi. Now, in Upper Eastside New York, that wasn't _that_ big of a deal. _Especially_ considering it was _Jasper_.

But Jasper, being Jasper-y, was ashamed of whatever he had done (which was _nothing_) and took the nobler path. He dropped the orange jumpsuit and traded it for a uniform. This had been before the incident and he was even madder at himself that he couldn't be there for Rose at the time, I'm sure. But I wouldn't really know thanks to _Mr._ _King._

_Bastard._

So, as you can see, my time with the Hale children was full of _fun._

As I released Jasper I heard him chuckle and say, "Good Old Bells." I smiled at the old nickname that had stuck.

I finally took my eyes away from the hale children to find Alice cocking her head to the side, a calculating look on her face. "Don't tell me," she said before an of us could explain our familiarity with one another, "I'm just working out the finer details."

I only stared at her. Her calculating eyes looked as if they were seeing something else and it just confused me even more. "Sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

"Pay Alice no mind, Bella," Rose interjected," she's just on this kick where she believes she knows all."

"Rose!" Alice exclaimed, horrified. "You know that's not true. I don't 'know all'. I just see things."

"I know Al," Rose consented, "I'm just trying to freak Bella out. I haven't gotten the chance to in so long."

Rose hadn't changed _at all_.

"Give her a break Rose. We haven't seen her in nearly a year and you give Bella the idea that Alice is in need of a straight jacket," Jasper paused, "sounds about right," He finished.

"God, have I missed you two," I added, feeling the need to.

"We missed you too Bells," the blondes both said at the same time.

Twin –telepathy crap freaks me out.

"You know Rosie, Jazz," a deep voice bellowed," I'm feeling very isolated and out of the loop over here."

I turned my head towards the voice and looked into a chest. I needed to lift my head to see the laughing blue eyes of someone who looked like they could snap me like a twig.

Cue gulp.

"Emmett, this is our little, lost friend Bella we told you about," Rose explained. Though I knew it was childish, I beamed at the fact that not only had I been thought about, I had been thought _enough_ to be talked about.

"Oh, so this is the one who made Rosie look like she was playing for the other team," Emmett, I learned, laughed.

As color flooded my face I corrected, "I believe you have that mistaken. _Rosie _came onto _me_, of course."

Emmett guffawed, bending over, causing a few people to turn their heads at the sound. "I like her Rosie," Emmett said after calming down. "You never told me she was so much fun."

I blushed _again_. Jesus, would my face just blow up already!

As I contemplated over my unfair involuntary reactions, I unexpectedly had the life squeezed out of me. Okay, I'm being a little dramatic. I was currently trapped in the bulky arms of Emmett.

"Em, she's turning purple," Jasper warned, ever the sensible one.

"Sorry, Bellsey," Emmett chuckled.

After being released release, I took a chance to get a good look at him. I had already obviously seen and experience his bulky form. But on top of the massive body was a mop of curly, black hair. A set of twinkling blue eyes popped out from a handsome face.

This was just _so_ excessive. Seriously, how could there possibly be so many excruciatingly beautiful people in one place?

Emmett wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to PLB Bellsey. This school will swallow you whole and spit you out a scarred person," he added cheerfully.

I visibly gulped.

"Emmett!" Rose admonished, smacking him in the process. I doubted it hurt him more than it hurt her. "You're going to scare her. You make it sound like a cult."

"Not all that far from the truth," he laughed, but stopped abruptly from the warning look on Rosalie's face. I knew that look. It was the look I got when I threatened to wreck her collection of _Car & Drive_r magazines. Who would have thought Aphrodite had a car fetish?

But as I saw the evil look on that perfect face, I couldn't help but see the affection brimming out of her very being. She was gripping Emmett's arm and trying to maintain a straight face, but you could see the mirth trying to break out of her. With a jolt, I realized something I thought could never be possible.

Rosalie Hale had met her match.

"Well I do declare, Rose, I believe someone had stopped you from breaking hearts left and right," I said.

"And proud of it," she practically beamed, still not breaking eye contact with Emmett. I hadn't really taken notice, but you could see that glow coming off of her that screamed pure joy, ore so than I had ever been used to. Emmett mirrored her expression.

I looked away from their tender moment to find yet another couple radiating unadulterated happiness. I had opened my moth to make a comment to Jasper when I saw the similar look on his absurdly handsome face.

His fingers were tangled, far below where they usually hung, with a pair of dainty, petite hands that were particularly raised form their usual level.

I looked from Jasper's star-crossed face to Alice's and nearly cried at the devotion that emanated off of them. Their eyes were solely focused the each other's and I felt a soft smile tug at my lips. My two best friends had found their other halves.

In. Private. High. School.

Well, it looked like I was in for some entertainment. The whole lovey-dovey staring between both of the couples in front of me was starting to get a little awkward. As politely as I could, I cleared my throat to break into each of their own, little worlds.

Emmett and Rose both snapped their heads in my direction. Emmett sent me an impish look while Rosalie just gave me an indulgent, almost smug smile. I swear, no matter what this girl goes through, she will always find _something_ to smile about.

Alice and Jasper took a little bit longer to break their intense gaze at one another. I could see the welded bonds between them, even just watching them interact with one another for a few moments.

Eventually, Alice turned her head In my direction and bounded towards me, talking a mile a minute. I could only catch some of it she was speaking so fast.

"…I can't believe it! Well, I can, but…. oh, this is just perfect…" was just about the majority of what I got out of her tirade.

Jasper only looked on at her with an indulgent smile; slowly shaking his head at who I knew was the love of his life. I had always wondered about Jasper and how his relationships would be. I mean, he would never have any trouble finding anyone who was interested, I'm sure, but I was afraid his quiet demeanor would set him back in the relationship department. I worried about him in the way that I worried about myself.

But this wasn't about me.

I had always thought that Jasper and I were kindred spirits. Generally, we were calm and collected, only letting out our pent-up emotions when the occasion called for it. (Except when I felt like the moment _needed_ my views of the subject but when no one else was really listening…)

He never really got close to someone besides Rose and me. And after he was shipped out, I would imagine that he kept to himself even more. That thought made me wonder how he coped with army life. As I looked at him, I tried to study him without the glow he was already emitting.

I could see the trim around his eyes that made him look so much older, if I really tried. I probably looked like I was trying to solve a really hard math problem. Besides the fact that his eyes were shining, they looked old. Experienced. Pained. Burdened by the sight of tragic events, which I'm sure he had seen. But then again, I could only tell because I knew jazz. He still looked liked he had just won the lottery as he gazed at Alice.

Alice! I had forgotten that I was supposed to be paying attention to what she was saying.

"…so you guys have to tell me the entire story," Alice huffed, seemingly done speaking. For now.

"Um, sure," I said chancing a glace at Rose. She nodded at me, her face saddening a bit. Her response told me what I could have easily guessed. They already knew of the horrific event that landed us on opposite sides of the country. Stupid son of a…but let's save that thought for a later time.

After that, Jasper pulled me up a chair and held it out for me. I smiled at him in thanks; he truly always was the southern gentleman of the Upper Eastside. Or of _Forks _now I guess.

Ugh.

"so as you know," I began, "it all started one lovely dya in the park…" I looked at the Double mint twins to see their matching hundred watt smiles breaking out. At the exact same time.

Freaky twin-telepathy crap…

As I told our eventful tale, both the siblings each added their own comments where they thought I was lacking.

_Nothing_ had changed.

I skipped over the sadder parts of our story, giving each pair of eyes a knowing look. Each pair held the same emotion in their eyes. Scorn towards the slime of a man that hurt our Rosie.

I had a feeling Emmett and I were going to have some very _colorfu_l conversations on that subject based on the look he had in his eyes. I went through the encounters u had had through my Hale-twinless year and explained just how I ended up at good old PLB.

As I kept my groan of contempt internal, I realized that maybe that this was fate. Maybe there was an unknown reason driving my decision to move to Forks. Something that pushed me here that would lead me back to my best friends. Though I maybe be crazy (and most likely am), maybe I was _meant_ to come here to find more than I would have imagined.

I mean, I had already found my two greatest sources of happiness. Who knows what else could be in store for me?

**PLEASE review! Updates will come more often now that our school's over. SUMMER IS HERE!**

**Love,**

**The oxi and the moron.**


	5. Elves, Walls, and Good Ears, Oh My!

**READ ME…READ ME… I FEEL LIKE I'M IN ALICE IN WONDERLAND, THE LITTLE CAKE THAT SAYS 'EAT ME'**

**All our lovely readers out there…do you have any sympathy for two obsessed teenage girls?**

**We only got one review. And I know that we updated only a few days ago, but I **_**know **_**that the story has been read because it has been added to a couple of story alerts and I'm flattered. But…if you review, and it doesn't matter what it's about, we would be tickled pink…and black because those are Nicole's favorite colors... (Just a hint here but our favorite bronze haired god **_**might**_** be appearing in this chappie…) Let the games begin…**

Chapter 4: White walls, Good ears, and Blue elves, Oh My!

BPOV

_Why are hallways always white? Is there any other color that some painter could use on walls? There were countless hues that would keep one much more interested than just _white_. But then, I suppose, one would probably fall down, knocking down numerous people in the process… Oh wait, that's just me... _I thought as I wandered aimlessly through the unfamiliar halls of this establishment that practically begged for some originality to be splashed on it.

I was currently trying (and clearly failing) to get to my study hall that had started… eight minutes and twenty-seven seconds ago. I was utterly and sincerely screwed as a light bulb that refused to 'ping' and light up. And I still had…more than two hours left of this torture they called school.

During my rather eventful lunch, I had found out that Rose was in my seventh period study hall. I was relieved, knowing that at least I would have some relief from knowing no one. And I also was glad because maybe it Rose intimidated people enough, they wouldn't stare quite so much. Having a bombshell as a best friend sure did tend to come in handy.

She told me she would meet me outside the library before the period started. However, I could not manage to locate the damned library because was being intolerable by not letting me find it. Of course, we had a full fledged altercation and weren't speaking to each other for the time being. Oh dear _God_, my mind was absolute mush. It was probably because my blood sugar was low.

I felt like at any moment the advertising person for Emerald Nuts would bust out and convince me that I just simply could not make it through the day without these nuts to keep me from being attacked by little blue elves that would affect my sense of direction.

Forks was making me insane and I hadn't even been here a full twenty-four hours.

What happened to us library? We used to be such good friends; I always stood up for you when others said that you were boring and made a habit of making frequent visits. I was not letting this friendship slip away now, not after being comrades for so long.

On that note, I scurried down the very _white_, daunting halls. I kept glancing around me, trying to see if someone could help me. Or maybe it was just my self-conscience checking for the little blue elves at every corner. But I kept myself optimistic, because it I found anyone who could help, they certainly couldn't put me in a _worse_ position than I was already in.

Rose must be having a panic attack right now. Oh! I must have really been affected by those elves because I forgot something major. It's _Rose_. She would know that it's _me_ and is probably having a good, long laugh right about now.

As went on and on mentally about the unfairness of my bad luck, I glanced up, yet again, looking for some sort of sign that would give me any clue as to where I was going.

And was stopped, dead in my tracks, by a brick wall that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. And landed on my ass.

Sugar honey iced tea, that _hurt_.

I tried to hold onto a final shred of dignity by not groaning aloud, then figured, _What the hell?_, and performed a full, blown out moan that sounded like something was dying.

As entertaining as that sight may have been, I can assure all the viewers at home that nothing could have beaten my face as a hauntingly beautiful chuckle stooped my groan prematurely.

"Walk much?" asked a sardonic, harsh, yet _melodic _voice. The voice sounded like masculinity personified; it sounded as appealing as a swimming pool on an August day. As I slowly opened my eyes, I looked up, only to have to blink twice to see if I was dreaming. Not that my mind could ever concoct something as beautiful as _that_.

I came to the realization of two things simultaneously:

One, I had not walked into a brick wall. Huge humiliation saver right? Not so much. It's even better. I had slammed into a _person_. My life is dandy as candy.

Realization number one was not all that surprising a feat for a person like me. But it had nothing on realization number two. It wasn't so much a realization as it was a revelation to utter beauty in human form. It made me widen my eyes only to blink again, trying to clear them of the impossibility that was displayed before me.

At first, all I saw was green. Different hues of green: Hunter green, Peridot, Emerald, sprinkles of turquoise. They all swam around, blending into one another around a dilated pupil.

Next, I saw the copper colored wisps of hair hanging obtrusively over the pretty, green eyes. The eyes were evocative, hiding something; a tangible burden lurking is the forest of the green. It was odd, the eyes seemed familiar in their hues, like I had seen them somewhere before… but it shook it off to continue looking on.

Then, this was the point that made up the majority of the revelation. The whole package.

Before my very eyes was a boy who looked my age, if not older and should be called a man. He had a lanky build, but I knew from running into him just a moment ago that he was not lacking in the muscle department. He could probably take Jasper…

The bronzish, crazy hair and the piercing, foreboding eyes were set in face that would be deemed fit to suit an aristocrat. Whit his strong jaw and sharp nose, he looked like someone who could easily play the part of a long forgotten royal of a kingdom that had faded away.

But maybe, though highly doubtful, but _maybe_, if I had seen him somewhere outside PLB, I might not have been so dazed by the sight of him. But, somehow, he managed to look more perect and delicious than even the _Hales_.

In. The. Goddamn. Penny. Loafers.

I think that was the most unnerving part that surpassed even realization number two. Everyone had every right to not look remotely good in this God awful outfit. And yet he managed to look…yummy. And it bothered me to no end. If he looked this good in this outraging getup, I wasn't sure If I could handle ever seeing him in something less gag inducing.

Before I made myself look even more mentally incompetent than I already had by staring blatantly at him for a good five minutes, I stoop from my awkward position on the floor and took a good three steps back.

I was afraid if I was too close, I would start hyperventilating. Kind of like right now…

"I'm really, _really_ sorry," I began, "but I got lost about six different times trying to get to the library and…" I topped rambling when I saw the impatient look on his otherworldly face, "and you don't really care."

"Afraid so," he spit out callously. While I marveled at the dulcet tone of his voice, I felt the all too familiar anger grow within me. I didn't do anything to offend him intentionally and he has to be so rude. _Of course_, the most stunning man ever to walk this earth has to be a jerk. That made me even angrier.

"Well I'm so sorry for wasting your time," I huffed out, "but would you be so kind as to point me in the direction of the library? That is, if it isn't too much trouble," I finished. When I'm mad, I tend to get _very_ sarcastic. His annoyingly perfect face seemed slightly taken aback at my rather lively response. "Well, Miss Swan, I was not expecting the _respectable scholarship stud_ent to have such an attitude."

I took that as a challenge.

"Of course, _you_ would now all about attitudes wouldn't you…? Oh, that's right, you were too busy insulting me to introduce yourself, but since you clearly already know who I am…" I spun on my heel in what I hoped was the right direction, feeling very proud of myself for not backing down from the unspecified jerk head.

"The library is _this_ way," _that_ voice taunted at me.

Remember how I was proud of myself just a moment ago? All that pride completely evaporated.

I turned my head back to look at the stunning specimen with the attitude. "And I should trust you because…?"

"I never said you should trust me," he quipped, "I'm merely trying, out of the goodness of heart, to save yourself from further embarrassment."

"Okay," I consented, realizing it was getting really late. "So where is it?"

He only shook his stupid, pretty head, "You're only going to get yourself lost, which wouldn't be the first time, so I'll just offer my services and show you the way."

"Thanks, but no thanks," I said. "I'll pass." I didn't want to prolong my time with _Mr.-I-can't-be-nice-to-anybody-even-if-it-would-really-help-everyone-if-I-wasn't-such-a-prick_ any longer than need be.

"No, no, no need to thank me," he continued as if I hadn't spoken. "If you'll follow me," he then spun on his heel to the direction where I was formerly headed. At least I had been on the right track.

At this point, I was so lathe that I just decided to follow the unwelcoming guy that seemed to lack the possession of any manners because, really, what harm could it do?

That thought stopped me dead in my tracks for a second before I scurried to catch up to the green-eyed god with the _major _attitude problem.

--H—E—L—L—O—

It seemed everything that ever made any note in my mind about my stroll with the jerk had the word awkward pertaining to it.

Awkward silences. Awkward looks. Just plain friggin awkward. And what kind of word was awkward anyway?

An awkward word, I suppose.

Awkward would be just about the only word I could think of to sum up my way to the library with that _godly_ looking specimen.

I stayed about two steps behind him in silence for most of the way there while he seemed to be inspecting something that was hidden from my line of sight. He would mutter something to himself every few seconds and it was a little creepy to say the least.

It made me wonder, if this dunce had mental problems. Like, maybe he had hallucinations or something and that was what made him act so terribly towards me. That, though surely unlikely, would have made me feel considerably better about myself. I glance at him again only to see him peering at me inquisitively before snapping his head back. That theory actually wasn't that bad now come to think of it…

Finally, after a long and _awkward_ lull he spoke out abruptly, "You wear glasses?"

The question caught me completely off guard. I hadn't even worn my glasses here yet and somehow he knew that I had them? That didn't sound right to me.

"Yes," I answered, despite my suspicion."Only for distance, though. How did you know…?"

"Born in New York on September 13th, brown eyes, plans on donating the heart if an accident should occur…" he rambled on, as if I hadn't asked a question. I mean, why did he bother even speaking to me if he wasn't going to listen to what I had to say?

But I was still mulling over what he was muttering about. Those weird, unrelated characteristics sounded like me. Nailed me down perfectly. It sounded exactly like a…

I gasped out loud before hurriedly checking my bag to find my wallet missing. "You stole my wallet?!" I I screeched. I had already convicted him as known jerk, yes, but he was a _thief_ too?!

"Took you long enough," he snorted. "No credit cards, only $23.56, a library card for the New York Public, not even a designer wallet…" he mused.

How had I not noticed that he had taken my wallet? Had the little, blue elves made a reappearance by coming up and wacking me unconscious while he picked my pocket?

"Give that back!" I shrieked. I almost _never_ got this angry. Not seriously, at least. But even back in New York, which had to have one of the highest robbery rates in the _world_, had I never been stolen from. And yet here, in _Forks_ of all places, was where I was pick pocketed from.

"Geez!" he yelled. "What are you trying to do? Break a world record?" he said as he hurried ahead of me, veering to the left.

"No, it is not exactly at the top of my _things-I-want-to-accomplish-list_," I sneered.

I still could not believe that this jerk face, for lack of a better word, would actually have the audacity to steal mu wallet. And what cause did he have? It was my first day here! I gulped at the thought of the things he did to the people who really pissed him off if he was so vile to a stranger…

"Good," he snapped, while snickering and rubbing his ears. They were extremely cute ears, I noted, for some strange reason. They were excessively cute, in fact. They looked so soft and pink, and …cute. Ugh! I can't even look at him without admiring his Goddamn _ears_, for Christ's sake! "because," he continued," that would be even more pathetic it that was a goal in life for you."

Jerk. Good ears, but a jerk, nonetheless.

"Honestly, I would be a little more concerned for someone who likes to steal people's wallets when they get bored," I shrieked, growing exceedingly more irritable with every passing second. I sounded like a banshee, I'm sure.

"I'm not stealing _anything_," he defended. "I'm merely borrowing a belonging so I can gather all the facts I can get on the New Yorker so as to keep the truth separate from the rumors. This is for a educational purpose only," he finished.

Well my theory for the hallucinations just went soaring over the Pacific Ocean. That made me feel even worse about myself, because, he really was just that mean in real life. And damn, for a dunce he sure was articulate. I think that made me even _more_ irritated, because no way could this guy be an idiot. He just _had_ to have a brain. Had and brain and _used _it, too.

The people like him who had brains and used it were the types of people who are the cause of great headaches. Brilliant, of course; they were the ones making all the wonderful discoveries of today. But, _boy_, did they know how to instigate a _killer_ migraine.

I found myself a little miffed about the New Yorker comment. Really, I don't know how we got the reputation of being such callous meanies. Oh, yeah. Royce Jr. is from New York. Mystery solved, case closed. But when people like me are from New York, it should really redeem our bad status.

Mr. Goodear, as I now referred to him in my head, shuffled a few steps ahead of me, currently looking at I picture of me and Rose after we tried to create a lemonade stand. _That_ did not go so well.

Wait a minute. (Who I was saying wait to, I have no idea). What did Mr. Goodear (and not Good_ears_ because one ear was incredibly, _slightly_ cuter than the other) say about rumors? "And what would these _rumors_," I spat the word out like it was acid, "consist of?"

He chuckle a throaty chuckle. His chuckle was cute, toll. Oh good God, Bella, get a grip! "Oh, you know. You were a loan shark by age twelve, a bookie in Japan, mother to three children now in the hands of childcare services. You know. The usual."

These people sure had imaginations. Maybe it was all this rain. I bet there was something in it that seeped into everyone's system and slowly drove them insane…Oh God; it was getting to me, too! No wonder where all the thoughts of the little blue elves came from…

Trying my best not to seemed at all fazed, I chuckled, "Well, news travels pretty fast around here, I see. And how did they find out about the bookie job? I had thought that had cleared up after the trial…" I trailed off, laughing to myself.

Surprisingly, he laughed along with me. I liked the sound of it. His deep baritone voice and my raspy alto mixed well with one another… the rain must really be getting to me.

"You know, you're funnier than I gave you credit for," he stated. This made me think of Emmett's comment of how I was funnier than Rosalie and Jazz had explained. Was it me? Was I giving off this boring librarian vibe, even before people met me? That couldn't be healthy for a seventeen year old.

Shaking that from my thoughts I replied, "Oh you had me pegged as some nerdy, uptight girl from the big city with her knickers in a twist and a pocket protector handy?" Did I just say the word _knickers_?

"Pretty much," he laughed again. "Aw, now isn't that a cute, little picture," he practically cooed while reexamining the picture of Rose and me again."That's a nice bikini you're wearing there…" he trailed off and peered at me, seeming to be seeing me with new eyes at what might be under the hideousness this school called a uniform.

My face felt like the Sahara Desert.

While he was still looking at the picture, I snatched it along with the rest of _my_ things out of his hands and scurried ahead of him, having no idea where I was headed, yet again."Yes!" I exclaimed

"Hey!" he protested."I wasn't finished looking at that."

"Too bad, buddy," I said as I finally spotted the door adorned with the sign saying 'Library'. Our friendship has been restored, my good friend.

"Well, thank you _so_ much," I started, "for all the _wonderful _help," I said.

"The pleasure was all mine, Miss Swan," he said, taking my hand in his and kissing it, in a surprisingly serious tone, but his eyes betrayed his playful manner. Despite his laughing eyes, I felt like Rose DeWitt Bukater at the bottom of the grand staircase on the _Titanic_, being met by the charmingly scruffy Jack Dawson. At least I _thought_ like a seventeen year old girl sometimes.

As much as I wanted to faint and feeling like I could float away, I was still kinda freaked out. Okay so maybe he didn't have hallucinations, but he definitely had a multiple personality disorder. I pulled my hand back quickly at the thought.

"Okay…" I said uncertainly.

He laughed lightly at my discomfort. "I'm Edward, by the way," he _finally_ introduced, before tuning on his heel and fleeing the scene.

Edward. Ed-_ward_. _Edward._ The name suited him. It was a little different, and made you second guess yourself if you had heard it right. It nailed him _perfectly_. It was very _Edward-y_. That seemed to be the only way to describe the people I knew, now wasn't it. Sometimes, I exasperate myself to the point that I feel the need to have someone slap myself. Repeatedly. This damn rain…

As he headed in the director we came from, I studied his retreating form. He seemed so elegant, for a lack of a better word. Sophisticated. So excruciatingly out of my league. I sighed. I had already come to terms with my ordinariness long before I met the illusive Edward.

Then, in a movement so fleeting I almost missed it, he jerked his head back while still wlking. I envied that, How could he not topple over by doing that? He was walking and not looking the direction he was going…I couldn't fathom it.

He fixed his overwhelming eyes on me, winked with a devlish smirked. And whipped his head back around without another glance back, his strangely colored hair swaying with the movement.

He winked at me. He _winked_ at me. _He_ winked at _me_.

What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?

**End of Chappie! I wrote a lot this time! So please, I beg of all of you Twilight obsessed people, bear with me and make my day… or, really, night. **

**Who loves the little blue elves? Not me! I prefer Gold elves. Get it Angry platypus. I would call you your name, but it's the internet…**

**Love You!**

**The Oxi and the Moron.**


	6. Coincidences that Kill!

**You are all in trouble! Come on guys, we need your support! How am I supposed to know whether you like the chapters or not? You know I could change this to a team Jacob story… and I swear I will if you don't review!**

**Anyway, have a lovely time reading! Make some popcorn, dim the lights and get high on cookies because the show starts in 3,2,1…**

Chapter 5: Coincidences that Kill!

BPOV

When the hell was I _ever_ going to need to know the periodic table of elements back and forth? Ooh! Ooh! Pick me! I know the answer!

_Never in my pathetic life_, I grumbled to myself as I read unseeingly from my chemistry textbook. I really wanted to make contact with this Mendel person that was supposedly genius for putting all the elements in this _lovely_ order. I wanted to tell him that knowing all this wonderful information would do nothing but make my brain hurt and leave me feeling even dumber than I had felt when I had started. And _that's_ saying something… Speaking (or thinking rather) of things that I don't need to know and will only do me harm…

I thought back to my rather embarrassing entrance to the library this afternoon.

_Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_Flashback_ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO_

_After profusely telling the moderator that I, again, had _not _been smoking in the back of the gym, I stumbled my way over to the laughing eyes of my good, nurturing Rosalie._

"_Don't worry," she began," no one will even notice the obscene shade of purple you're turning," she laughed. Much as I love Rose and have missed her dearly, she could lighten up a _smidgen_ on the sarcasm for my first day._

"_You know, I was starting to believe that you actually missed _me_, not just the act of _torturing me_," I glared. "Glad that's all cleared up." _

_She only laughed, creating a harmonious sound that filled the silent premises, causing several heads to turn. I sighed, already getting reacquainted to this unfair distribution of the perfect qualities._

"_Oh and you and I both know that you're beautiful and all," I rolled my eyes at her, "but," she insisted before I could protest, "not everyone needs to see your, um… womanly parts, busting out of your blouse." She paused."What kind of school did you think you were coming to, my dear Bella?"_

_I didn't respond. I really honestly tried to. It was kind of pathetic how hard I attempted to make my mouth form words. But my body wasn't having that. I was frozen from the moment the horrifying words left Rosalie's perfect mouth. The only thing that my body and mind did register is the sickening question that had left me on total lockdown:_

_Had my shirt been open the entire time I had spent with Edward?_

_Cue internal and physical smack to the head in three, two… the moment I had literally ran into Edward._

_Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo_Flashback_oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO_

Rosalie, as per usual, found my embarrassment wildly entertaining.

But she could have done something totally un-Rosalie-like and try to make me feel better by taking on the 'Ignorance is not bliss' idea. She really didn't need to tell me that, knowing how horrified I would be at my rather…_revealing_ display. Usually I was against this way of life, not wanting to be hidden from the truth, but in this case, not knowing wouldn't hurt me.

But then again, she definitely needed to close my shirt for me, one way or another. I suppose she just decided to enjoy my pain in is while doing so. But couldn't she have at least done it nonchalantly? Or perhaps said something sympathetic in my fragile state?

But once again. This was Miss Rosalie Hale, hottie extraordinaire with no gall. And _nothing_ Rosalie Hale would ever do in this life or the next would be nonchalant.

After mentally harassing myself for choosing to associate with such _sadistic_ people, I took the chance to look around the room I was occupying. _My_ room now, I guess.

Along with everything that came with coming to PLB, I got to live here, too.

Wasn't I just given everything a girl could ever dream for? (Cough Cough)

Luckily, because I had come in late in the year, there were no other girls looking for a roommate. It was a huge relief to me. I don't think I could handle it if I got a superficial skank who often had …visitors at night. Ew. Or maybe a Goth person that had a strange hatred towards me and would send hexes on me. Even weirder. But the worst case scenario would be if I got someone just like me. Ordinary looking, ordinary things, ordinary attitude, but had a mind that would scare even Freud away.

Shaking that thought away, I once again reexamined my room. Not that there was much to look at. It was a little smaller than my old room, which wasn't saying much. It had a desk, a bed and a dresser, all painted a faded black.

Thankfully, my own bathroom was attached, so I was thrilled that I wouldn't need to share the facilities with all the girls on my floor as I had feared.

There was a window that took up half of the north facing wall that looked out onto the main courtyard. It actually was a lovely view. With PLB being abnormal and all, they had odd animals walking around the premises. And when is say 'odd', I mean like multiple peacocks and koi fish in the several ponds beneath the brick bridges.

The walls surrounding the courtyard were covered with thick, luscious vines. It was centered around a beautiful stain-glass window piece that was formed into an intricate shape. I could see myself on my way to class through here, and not leaving as I stared at the unique beauty that one didn't see every day.

At least I knew of one good quality of PLB so far.

Despite that the room was okay and I would have settled for much less, it didn't look like me. It was barren of anything personal, like picture frames or organized clutter. Oh well. I guess that would come with time.

But the reason that I had even looked up from studying to survey my room again other than to distract myself from the boredom was the key point as to why I disliked my room. The walls were painted, a bright jade green.

Don't get me wrong, I mean, it was a lovely color and it looked like life had once reached this desolate room. And that best part about them was probably that they weren't white. Aha! _You dastardly fellows, I have overcome the obsessiveness of painters to put such dull color on walls!_ But it also reminded me of something that had been plaguing my mind since seventh period.

Does that particular color remind you of someone's unforgettable eyes that I encountered today? Hmm?

This room was going to be very _distracting_. Every time I looked up, I was hit with the memory of those eyes. It really took up my time.

Especially considering there was something that I felt I was missing. I know that I had seen those eyes somewhere before. Not the same exactly, of course, for I doubted such intensity could ever be replicated. The history that seemed to be lying in the depths of Edward's could never be experienced in the same way, let alone shining in another set of eyes.

But the vibrant, striking alertness and some of the color had reached my own dull, brown eyes before, I was sure of.

I knew that _his_ eyes held a sense of one of a kind danger that left me with a shudder just thinking about it.

Out of fear or desire I still wasn't sure.

And it annoyed me to friggin' end. I knew what a jerk he could be toward me and yet I was still deeply affected by his hypnotic gaze.

But really, can you blame me? What woman _wouldn't_ be a little flustered at the sight of him?

Any woman who had heard a word out of his tempting mouth, I suppose.

It drove me cuckoo for Coco Puffs. I was fully aware that had Edward not been so handsome (understatement of the century), I would have never wanted to associate myself with him again. But considering the fact that it _was_ Edward, and I doubted such a face had ever walked the earth, you have to give me a little credit for handling myself as well as I did. At least I hadn't started drooling…

Why couldn't he just be nice? Then he wouldn't present quite such a mystery to me. He didn't even have to be nice. Just outwardly cordial towards people and we could all get on with our day.

But that thought scared the crap out of me.

If he was capable of entrancing me after thoroughly insulting me, what would happen it, dare I say it, if he was somewhat…pleasant?

Or even worse. If he was charming.

I shuddered at the possibilities of that kind of dangerous power.

Somehow, I knew that Edward was capable of that power much more than I would ever consciously admit.

You ask, how could I _possibly_ know that after having one encounter with him that was a fat cry form revealing his true character, perhaps?

When he had switched his personality (one of the many, I'm sure) suddenly before his departure, his whole being changed. Of course, he was still the same stunningly sarcastic stud I had earlier encountered, but something in his outlook for that time had shifted on eighty degrees.

His eyes were his smoking fun for the change.

As he gently held my hand before kissing it, though his eyes still had a teasing gleam about them, they could have been the eyes of an innocent six year old had I not known better.

Beneath the playful façade lay a vulnerable quality to his eyes. He seemed as if he were trying something new that he was excited about, and he was letting me in on the secret.

But I had replayed the scene in my head far too many times and I'm sure my imagination was subconsciously adding bits and pieces to it.

But no matter how I internally chastised myself, my mind would soon fly back to those same, damn eyes. They eyes that I had seen _somewhere _before, but I just couldn't place it for the life in me.

I drifted over the memories my head had permanently etched yet again: _the guarded and distant look his eyes had when he first looked down upon me with disdain, the sarcastic light they had taken on during our colorful banter, the true, pure laughter within them when I ran off with the picture of Rose and me…_

And I went over his final glimpse more than any other

He retained a confident expression, but his eyes were curious, a bit frantic, and wickedly amused.

The unmistakable set of eyes glanced at me, lit up with a strange type of recognition, then one closed quickly with the signature wink he left me with.

Realizing that I had spent far too much time pondering the mystery of Edward's eyes _yet again_, I attempted to find a way to remember the first half of the periodic table.

What kind of cruel, vicious person would make a new, vulnerable student take a quiz the day after she arrived? A chemistry teacher, that's who.

I recalled the numerous study sessions that I had had with Rose that left me with my sides aching form the vibrations of my laughter through my body.

We decided that if we _had_ to study, we would make it at least a _little _amusing. So whenever we had a chart or map to memorize, we would make up mnemonic devices to help us retain the dull information.

Art one point, we had to memorize Moh's Scale of Hardness for Earth Science. What kind of twisted son of a mother would come up with a name like that? It made me think of feathers and I _so_ did not want to go there right now. Or ever, really.

It goes as follows:

Talc-Tyler

Gypsum-Got

Calcite-Canned

Fluorite-for (having the)

Appetite-Appetite

Feldspars-for

Quartz-Quinn's

Topaz-Terrific

Corundum-Cake

Diamond-Dude!

Okay… so we aren't the most creative of innovative bunch, but really, how much better can you do. Plus, it had been after one o'clock in the morning and we were high on popcorn, Sprite, and endless cookies.

I think the one thing I missed almost as much as Rose and Jazz was their _always-full-of-junk-food _kitchen. It made my mouth water just thinking about the endless possibilities…

But back to the genius of Rosalie and mine's minds. My favorite, and the most memorable by far, of all time or ours was the way we remembered the Latin American social class system of ninth grade global:

Peninsulares-Please

Creoles-Call

Mestizos-Me

Natives-Now

Free Blacks-For

Slaves-Sex

We are not sick in the mind! (Though you probably could argue a pretty darn good case about that…) We were once again high off those amazingly fantastic Chips Ahoy! Chewy Cookies.

They. Are. Dangerous.

And anyway, this rather…unorthodox way of memorizing things worked its intended purpose flawlessly. How could someone _possibly_ forget such a thing?

I tried to apply such remarkable skills towards my Chem studying, but this just wasn't clicking. I suppose the sugar and the high I got off being with _Rose_ was the key point needed to perform such miracles. Also, how the _hell_ does one come up with a creative way to remember the atomic number and mass for hydrogen?

As I pondered this arduous question, the vibrating of my phone alerted me to an unknown caller. Usually I didn't pick up if I didn't know who it was. But it was really late and I had major jetlag. Therefore, I was in the mood to tell off the telemarketer that was most likely calling me because they _somehow_ knew that I was busy and I needed to freaking _concentrate_. So you can imagine way my 'Hello' might have come out a little gruffer than it usually did.

"Why, Miss Bella, is this how you always answer your phone calls from friends?" A pealing voice that no one could mistake trilled over the line

"Alice?" I asked, dumbfounded. I hadn't given out this number to _anyone_ here so Alice definitely couldn't have reached me…

"Of course, Bellsey Wellsey! Who else would it be? Were you expecting someone else? A _friend _perhaps? Hmm? " I could imagine Alice wiggling her little eyebrows at me, trying to weasel out nonexistent gossip.

"Um, no!" I stammered. I tried to phrase my next words as politely as I possibly could. I didn't want to offend Alice because she had been nothing but nice to me. "Um, not that I'm not tickled pink at your call, Alice, but how did you get my number?"

"I have my ways, deary," she answered cryptically. But before I could inquire further, she was off yet again. "Bella, I'm not calling just to chatter, I _do_ have a reason, believe it or not." _Oh really_, I thought as I rolled my eyes to the back of my head_. Because Alice would never just call to make chitter chatter. _

"And I can practically hear you rolling your eyes at me so stop," she commanded.

That was mad creepy. And it wasn't the first time Alice had uncannily correct assumptions towards me, either.

This was weirder than Rose and Jazz's twin telepathy crap…

"So for some reason," Alice breezed on, unaware of my suspicious thoughts, "no one wants to come with me to get breakfast tomorrow morning. Everyone usually sleeps in to the last possible minute and don't' spend any time getting proper nutrition." She seemed slightly disgruntled at that thought. Maybe she was just one of those people that needed to be up at the crack of dawn for God knows what reason. I sure as hell wouldn't know why. "But we're growing children and need to get all our vitamins and minerals by starting off the day with breakfast. Besides, tomorrow the special is Belgian waffles…"

I had zoned out a little while she went on and on, but the moment the words '_Belgian waffles_' left her lips, I was a sold woman with her mouth watering. I probably looked like a dog with my mouth hanging open while I drooled.

"So will you be a real doll and come with me tomorrow? It looks kind of pathetic with just me alone with stacks upon stacks of waffles surrounding me."

I was really touched by Alice asking me, for even considering me as one of her friends and wanting to get together with me. So you can see why I readily accepted her impromptu invitation. And the Belgian waffles had absolutely _no _part in the decision making process.

The only objection I had to Alice's idea was the ungodly hour that I would have to wake up at to look at least somewhat decent. I guessed that was the reason nobody else wanted to come with her. But it waffles and some _strong_ coffee were supplied, then there was nothing stopping me.

I set my beat up cell phone on the barren desk, fully ready to resume to my studying. But those thoughts changed drastically when, as I was turning back, my battered, beat up, and borrowed copy of _Romeo & Juliet _caught my eye.

The well worn book was teetering over the edge of my open suitcase, just calling out to be picked up and properly nurtured.

Of course, I had read the tale numerous times before. And it was still the tragic, cliché, slightly unrealistic love story that goes down as the greatest in history every time I read it. But the spellbinding words leaped off the page and kept me entranced, each and every time. Shakespeare made the sweet nothings uttered into music.

If the words were music, then Romeo's voice was the low cello that danced with Juliet's high pitched flute as the declared their love.

But then again, some of the things said during the gruelingly long monologue could have been German for how much of them I understood. Usually though, I could muddle out most of the meaning of the unidentifiable parts.

I glanced from the timeless tale, and to my Chem book and back. And I did it again. I must have done it a good couple of times for a while before I finally scurried over to my much loved book and got comfortable.

ooo

Nearly two hours later, my face was wet and puffy from my seemingly never ending tears. It's ridiculous that after know exactly _what's_ going to happen and exactly _how_ it's going to happen, I am stuck by tears each and every time.

But I did this with every work of literature or real life tragedy I ever heard. I usually comment on how terribly wretched it is, get a bit depressed and then I'm okay.

But it was always the young love heartbreak that got to me. Every time I hear a story about two young lovers' lives being ended, it rips me apart. It gives me that horrible feeling you get in your stomach when you see a homicide of someone on the other side of the world and knowing that there's nothing that you could have done to prevent it.

These two young people, with their whole lives ahead of them to spend with one another; their dreams of all they would ever do ultimately crushed. Two lives ruined.

It was even somewhat worse to me when only one of the lovers die. Then the other person is left to wallow on Earth; a world apart from their other half, and all they can ask is 'Why?'

This was something that truly perplexed me.

After a long time has passed and the surviving lover has moved on, then what? Say that person gets married and they have many children and even more grandchildren and ultimately has a lovely life with that person. Not a life as lovely as it would have been with their one, true love, but a good life nonetheless.

Assuming that person was generally good and makes it up to the pearly gates, who do you be with?

People always tell you when you're little that when people die they go to heaven and you'll see them again when you get to heaven.

So are you going to spend eternity in paradise with the person you were meant to be with, specifically designed for? Or the wonderful person you spent your life with?

There simply were no good answers for these questions.

The plaguing thoughts left my mind as I returned to the first act where the most famous of all loves began.

I sighed as I reread the words of Romeo that had captivated so many peoples' hearts. And yet, no one had a clue as to what he looked like.

If this was the greatest romance ever written, shouldn't we know what these people were supposed to be seen as?

After I die, I really should consider looking William Shakespeare up to help answer all my _vital_ questions. How morbid. Already making plans for my posthumous life.

I thought back again to Romeo. I guess there was a certain brilliance to Shakespeare's leaving Romeo faceless. That way, to every person who read the divine word came another face.

But really, he must have been other worldly, at least in the eyes of Juliet.

"_Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with the night and pay no worship to the garish sun." _

Must have been one heck of a face.

I had so many Romeos in my head though. They changed and switched and blended together every time I reread the play.

I had a mixture of the fictional characters I knew and loved, actors, people I had seen in the grocery store, and anything my mind could come up with. It was usually a mix of the following: Leonardo Dicaprio in _Titanic, _James Franco in _Flyboys_, Logan Huntzberger of _Gilmore Girls_, Chuck Bass of _Gossip Girl_ (Even if he is a tool…), Henry Schoonmaker of _The Luxe Series_, Jude of _Across the Universe_, Wesley of _The Princess Bride_, Christian of _Moulin Rouge_, Mr. Darcy of _Pride & Prejudice_, Sky Masterson of _Guys & Dolls_, Dougie of _McFly_, and Paul Carjak of _Breakfast at Tiffany's_. Yeah that's a whole lot to factor into one guy.

But, just recently, I can't help but picture Romeo with distinctive green eyes…

Pathetic. I know.

And what about Juliet? What kind of beauty and purity must she have emanated to have captured the heart of Romeo with but a glance?

"_Two of the fairest stars in heaven, having some business, do entreat her eyes to twinkle in their spheres till they return. What if her eyes were there, they in her head? The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars as daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven would through the airy region stream so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night."_

Of course, this all didn't _actually_ happen. It all came about in Shakespeare's mind, of course. But still… what was going on in his mind? Morbidness aside, I really should look him up…

For some reason, I couldn't put any names to play the part of Juliet. Of course she must have been as lovely as described; lovelier than the stars in the sky…

But, then again, the words describing her were meant to be seen through the eyes of someone madly in love. And every person in love views things differently, in my belief. I couldn't just choose someone like Peggy Lee or _Rosalie_ to fit her part. That's how Rosaline's supposed to look. Gorgeous beyond compare to all who had ever seen her. Besides, Rosalie was perfect. Rosalie, Rosaline. Get it?

But Juliet was different than that. Her beauty was something that was subtle, not as obvious upon first seeing her. But of course, Romeo was able to see straight through to her.

So, for some reason, I do something in my mind that never changes as I read the play over and over again.

I picture Juliet as myself. Which is absolute ludicrous, but I just didn't know what else to do when imagining her. I think it might be wishful thinking on my part. That just _maybe_, someday, it'll be my turn to be Juliet and be the leading lady of my own life. **(A/N:Sorry, I took this from The Holiday. Couldn't help it!)**

Of course, it wasn't how I always looked as I imagined myself as Juliet. My skin would be clearer and my eyes would sparkle wildly. I mean, I'm not terrible looking by any means. Just…a tad bit _invisible._ Nothing to stand out apart from the crowd. But I never minded that; the spotlight was more Rosalie's or Alice's forte.

But in the play, I wanted myself to _glow. _My face remained the same. Same high cheekbones and determined little chin.

My, or _Juliet's_, snowy white skin made her dark, entrancing eyes her dominant feature. Her hair looked like liquid mahogany, elegantly arranged to compliment her delicate bone structure. Her petite frame, though covered in a mask and somewhat extravagant dress, revealed her to be someone who had never been in love before.

At least I left _one_ thing exactly the same.

If only life could be that simple in real life. I mean, minus the family rivalry and suicide at the end part of it. But think about it: You see the person. You kiss the person. Proclaim love to said person. Bada bing, bada boom, you're done!

I smiled softly as my eyes struggled to stay open to read the parting words of Romeo from the ball, but it was no use. My eyelids fluttered shut, only to be met with dreams of the green eyed Romeo, proclaiming his love for me at the bottom of the balcony…

"_Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast. Would I were sleep and peace so sweet to rest. Hence will I to my ghostly friar's close cell, his help to crave, and my dear hap to tell…"_

---bReAk---

_Too Goddamn early._

It was the only thought that registered in my mind that bleak Tuesday morning.

As I walked the much too bright path to the cafeteria with Alice, I literally could not keep my eyes open. After a while, I began to wonder if I needed to have them surgically unsealed if I ever planned on seeing again…

Alice found this wickedly entertaining, proceeding to throw jibes at me from the moment she saw my sleep ridden form, bright and early at my door. Though I could not see to actually tell you, the halls were desolate of their usual gossiping girls. How she found where my room was, I don't know…

If I were in a more awake mood, I would have felt bad that I was such bad company. But in my current state at a much too early to be awake hour, I couldn't possibly care less that is at least until I got some friggin _coffee._

I know I went on a whole spiel about how I hate the reputation New Yorker's get and blah, blah, blah, but…

There is one habit of New Yorkers that I'm not ashamed of.

I run on coffee. I'm absolutely addicted and literally can't function without it. I cannot just get up in the morning and not have coffee. It just doesn't and will never exist in this world for me.

It's a bit pathetic that I can't even manage to keep my eyes from closing, though. All thanks to my mother. Now, my mother has gone through more phases and a fad than I can count, but no matter what, every day I wake up and there is Starbucks waiting for me.

A venti caramel frappacino light with whipped cream, to be precise.

Of course, she would moan and whine about how ridiculously expensive it was, especially when she was on her 'bare minimum' kick. _That_ didn't last too long. But as long as I got my caffeine fix every morning, I was all ears to whatever bad stuff she wanted to say about the multi-million dollar company.

Plus, she could _never_ survive a day without her venti sweetened black tea lemonade, anyway, so that _really _ensured my caffeine kick.

So you can see why I'm in a bit of a pickle at the moment. Alice seemed to have no need for caffeine apparently. She just woke up every day, naturally peppy. _Well whoop de freaking do_, I thought sardonically.

We finally made our way to the cafeteria where, bless the Lord, I could smell the undeniable scent of coffee brewing.

Life is _good._

"Bella? I'm gonna go get us some waffles. Do you want anything else?" Alice asked, realizing that I needed something stronger than her teasing banter to perk me up.

"Coffee," I choke out. Apparently, the lack of caffeine in my system was also making my voice hoarse. The rain is making me insane, the lack of on caffeine was making me lose my voice… What next?

"I figured as much," she mumbled dryly; then she grinned."How do you take it?" I think she was expecting me to be one of those girls that ask politely for two creams and one sugar, and giggle girlishly afterward.

Boy, did _she_ have another thing coming.

But then again, it was also kind of surprising that she _didn't_ know what I was going to ask for. I was getting used to that sort of thing around her. Well, as she said to Rose, she didn't know _all_.

Without opening my eyes I answered, "Two extremely large cups of coffee. One black and the other with four sugars." I noticed that, no matter my state of being, I _never_ had trouble ordering coffee. "Please," I added onto the end. I felt a bit rude.

"Woah," she replied, astounded at my extreme need for caffeine. I internally shrugged. She wouldn't be the first to be surprised. "Now just what were you doing last night that made you so tired? Or should I say who?" She giggled evily.

I groaned as we reached a table, putting my head down and turning a _divine _shade of scarlet, I'm sure. Maybe it would show the onlookers, _Yes, I am alive and have blood running through my veins actually. I just prefer to walk around with my eyes closed._

"Alice, go get the coffee," I commanded. She laughed a lovely little laugh before I heard her light footsteps wander off. "Oh, Alice?"

"Yes, Bella?" She drawled.

"Next time, bring me the coffee _before_ we get breakfast," I said without raising my head.

Her trilling snicker reached my ears. All this laughing of hers was _far_ too loud for this time of the morning. "I'm just glad there'll be a next time. You're nothing compared to how Rosalie acted the one time she let me drag her along." Ah yes, that sounds about right. If there was anyone who believed that morning was meant for sleep, and sleep _alone_ and worships coffee more than _me_, it would be Rose.

I thought back to Alice's question. Despite my normal hatred for the morning, I was especially tired thanks to the set of emerald eyes that kept me tossing and turning.

I sighed. It was because my unplanned reading session last night. I know better than to mix an overly stressed mind and Shakespeare before bed. It will bring nothing but my irritable side the next day.

I had tossed and turned so much more than my usual insomnia caused that my back was sore. The sparkling pair of eyes that haunted me was matched with copper colored hair to create the perfect Romeo. And that scared the crap out of me. And I knew that this Romeo wouldn't change a bit. How do I know this, you ask? Well, I don't think I have ever seen a face that would make the heavens look all the more fine and I _highly_ doubt I ever will.

I was also a little unstable for my health. If you can put two and two together, you'll understand what I mean. I imagine Edward as Romeo. I imagine myself as Juliet…

Unwanted mental complications ensue.

I was already getting a migraine and he wasn't even in the vicinity. Then, that heavenly coffee smell was just beneath my nose, and life was _easy as 1, 2, 3_ again. After thanking Alice quickly, I tested the coffee of PLB for the first time. And this was a big deal, you know? What would I do if it was really bad? I mean I couldn't just _not_ have coffee every day. It just wouldn't happen. Could I get Starbucks delivered every day to my room? I doubted that. Though I bet Alice could make it happen. Still, was there even a Starbucks _in_ Forks?

As the coffee poured timidly into my mouth, all my body registered was the fact that caffeine was _finally _entering my body. I shut my eyes tighter and chugged down the _insanely_ too small cup 'o joe.

I sighed. Nothing else mattered now.

I took the time to really take the taste in. Not bad. Not bad at all. A little on the weak side, but I could definitely survive with it. Crisis averted.

"Holy crap," Alice muttered. I wondered what that must have looked like to her. To have my eyes shut one minute, to chugging awfully hot liquid down my throat the next. Well, she's gonna have to get used to it sometime. It might as well be now.

"I know," I said. Then she giggled the 'Alice' giggle, as I was beginning to call it and it didn't seem as hurtful to my brain anymore. After mulling it over in my head, I decided to attempt at opening my eyes. I figured that now that coffee was in my system, I could handle the evil that is fluorescent lights.

The bright lights stung as I expected it to, but not in the manner that I should be saying 'I see the light…'

I blinked several times to adjust my eyes, practically feeling the pupils undulate. I looked around the still unfamiliar cafeteria to see it nearly empty. Well it's not that hard to guess why no one was here. Who would want to get up at such an sinful hour, anyway?

"She lives…"

"Ha ha." Unbelievably hysterical.

I turned my snubbed face toward her with a retort on my tongue that was never transmitted into sound wave to be heard by Alice. Because at that moment, I found myself staring straight into the eyes that had haunted me for the past twenty hours. And they weren't staring from underneath a mop of bronze hair.

They were looking out at me in the form of an ethereal face trimmed with spiky, one of a kind ebony hair.

_Alice._


	7. Um

**So we got five reviews for this past chapter and 127 hits for July alone which is great but this is the seventh update and we barely have more reviews than chappies… So this is really short and mean, but it's good…**

**I do want to thank all who reviewed though so hugs and gay air kisses to: ****..****, ****May-loves-Edward-Cullen****, ****easilyamused94****, ****DaisyInTheField****, ****AnEverFixedMark****, ****UltraViolet21****, and ****ahemyywe150****.**

**Especially call outs to ****AnEverFixedMark****, UltraViolet21, and ****ahemyywe150****. Your reviews were so sweet I legit started to tear up. Yeah, I know. **

Welcome Ladies and Gents, to the wonderful land of PLB in 3, 2, 1…

Chapter 6: Um…

(Somebody We All Know and Love's)POV

She had scurried back and forth thirty seven times.

Technically, she had paced seventy four times. But that's if you wanted to get technical.

She kept twitching her head in different directions, before going back to stare at the walls, then shaking her head agitatedly before returning to her textbook. Only to look back at the walls approximately forty seconds later.

My book lay forgotten in my hands as I continued to ponder this…_infuriating_ girl. She kept, just…_being _and it was extremely distracting.

But I suppose there was nothing I could do about it, but bask in her infuriating-_ness._

Which is why I didn't think it was all that weird to stare at her for four hours, twelve minutes, and fifty four seconds. I mean, I was simply looking out my window, trying to clear my head by gazing at the vine covered walls when the light directly across the courtyard flickered on.

It wasn't strange to gaze out and watch the dimly lit emotions skit across her face, one by one. I was certainly entitled to simply look at how her hair traveled behind her as she moved around the room, considering she had quite literally run into me earlier today. Then again, I had _borrowed,_ not stolen, _borrowed_ her wallet after that but still…

And did she really have to make such a big deal about it? I mean, my ears are still ringing. Plus, it made me wonder how she had never been stolen from when she was from _New York,_ of all places, and I didn't need to think about her any _more_.

The point was that watching her and all of her habits weren't wrong. It was perfectly normal to do such things and nothing could rightfully prevent me from doing so.

The part that I found most disconcerting, though, while I was supposed to be studying for my French test, was that I couldn't _stop._

**Okay, sorry that this was short, but you got a look at somebody's point of view and all…**

**Thanks again for the kind but SMALL NUMBER of reviews**

**Review and I'll give you magic coffee and cookies!**


	8. Secrets Are NO Fun

**I'm so proud of you guys!!!!!!!!! A lot of you learned that if you press that lovely gray box with the green writing, it makes me happy! But this doesn't mean that you should cease to give such lovely comments. By all means, shower us with them.**

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**Enough about the awesomeness of me and let the drama begin!!!**

Chapter 7: Secrets Are NO Fun

BPOV

Maybe coffee was losing its effect on me.

Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Maybe I didn't see the set of Malachite eyes gazing concernedly from Alice's delicate face.

Or maybe I actually _was_ freaking seeing the eyes of Edward freaking whatever his last name is in the face of my new friend.

And that just couldn't be possible. Right?

Therefore explaining the before mentioned theories that my brain had come up with on the spot.

Because really, as if my mind wasn't already affected by Mr. Freaking Goodear already, he has to have his eyes leer at me from sweet, little Alice?

_Okay Bella_, my more reasonable side exclaimed at my fast paced thoughts. _Think rationally, they're probably related, or something. _Then why didn't Alice, or anyone else for that manner, mention that to me when we had our extremely detailed talk at lunch yesterday? Exactly. Why _wouldn't_ they mention to me that Alice had a brother?

For Starbuck's sake, she told me about her pet rubber band ball she kept in her locker since ninth grade!

Maybe he was the outcast who claimed to hate fashion and Alice shunned him for life? It didn't seem to likely considering she seemed just as capable of holding a grudge as a two year old.

Or maybe that they just happened to have identical eyes in the form of other worldly faces. Really, there was nothing else that they had in common as far as their physical appearances went. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

_Yeah right, Bella. In a town _this _small, coincidences don't exist._

All the different opinions residing in my head were contradicting each other! This was madness, I tell you, madness!

Okay, I'm being _a little_ over dramatic. But, hey, I'm only seventeen. You can't expect me to think rationally _all the time._

As I babbled on and on internally, I saw the unease in Alice's eyes increase tenfold with every emotion that passed over my face. She must really be getting worried. I probably looked like I was struggling between performing brain surgery or really have to go to the bathroom.

Also, she barely knew me, so I couldn't exactly expect her to pick up from where my distraught expressions left off. I wouldn't really expect her to get the odd way my mind works.

Hell, _I _don't even know how it works, so how could _she_ empathize with me at all?

Still, she should know anyway, that I was going to have some weird reaction to something inexplicable today. First, she doesn't know how I take my coffee and now this? She really _was_ slipping up a lot…

"Um, sorry Alice," I began. "I kinda zonked out on you there for a bit."

Her eyes looked a little bit more relieved with every step I took towards the illusion of sanity. Lord knows that I can never fully achieve it, anyway. But she didn't have to know that. Yet.

"Yeah, I was starting to get a little nervous for you there. Man, you must have had _quite_ the night last night." She giggled. "What? Are you daydreaming about all the not-so-sleeping activities you had last night?"

Oh hardy har har.

I really would explain some of Alice's so called 'humor' if she had any type of relationship with him. He had probably rubbed off on her and spread his sadistic, perverted sense of humor onto poor, innocent Alice.

And there the Jerkward is to ruin my short no-Jerkward period of thinking time. **(A/N: InsaneGrizzlies got the JErkward thing in my head and I had to put it in there. I'm running out of things to call him so the credit goes to her.)**

This newfound connection between Edward and Alice that I had only just made would not tolerate being put into the back of my mind until I found I way to bring it up nonchalantly.

Especially since Alice's eyes lit up with mischief in an identical manner as the eyes that kept me up tossing and turning all last night. So in a way, Alice was right. I did have quite the night last night having to do with someone. Only the freaking person would leave the hell alone.

It wasn't like I could just ignore it when Alice looked at me like that. God he really did rub off on her unsuspecting, vulnerable soul.

I really didn't know how to broach the subject. Do I just say '_Hey Alice, do you happen to have any relatives and really even a person unrelated to you that has the exact same eyes as you do whose name is Edward, but I don't know his last name?'_

Not gonna happen. Unless I planned on sedating myself afterwards to avoid the impending doom that would ensue.

I figured I'd wing it. I mean, she already most likely (which means definitely) thinks that I belong in a straight jacket, so I'll just dive right in. Like ripping off a band aid. Only I still have a scar from ripping off a band aid when I was in the fifth grade, but that's beside the point.

"So, Alice…" Here goes nothing.

And that's exactly what went. Absolutely _zilch._

Because, for a moment, my world went dark.

Okay, I didn't faint or anything, I swear.

But my eyes were being shielded from seeing Alice's face and were instead replace with large, warm hands.

"Guess who?" I deep voice hollered in my ear.

"Hmm…I have absolutely no idea." I goaded him on. "Oh, wait I know! I know!"

I paused dramatically.

"It's that guy who has the severely damaged pinky."

I think I threw him for a minute there from the way he responded, "Huh? My pinky doesn't hurt…"

"It's about to," I threw at him and before he knew what hit him, I grabbed his pinky and twisted. Hard.

"Holy son of a mother, that _hurts_," Emmett screeched right into my ear. Now _that_ hurt.

Emmett appeared in front of me cradling his pinky to his chest, with a crestfallen expression on his childlike face. I don't think he even considered the fact that he might have punctured my eardrum. For Christ's sake, when you've got pipes that will knock out (quite literally) any person in the vicinity, why the need for all the brawn?

But he still just looked so _sad._

"I'm sorry Emmett," I said, because I really was sorry that such a heartbreaking look was on such a normally jolly face. "It's just what I do when people try to do that to me. It teaches them better than to mess around with me. Smart, huh?" I winked.

Ugh. I can't even play around with Emmett without involuntarily mirroring Jerkface's parting gesture to me. Screw him for being so …thinkable about-ish. Yes, it is a word. Just because I happened to invent on the spot does not mean that it cannot be considered a real word.

"Don't be offended by Bella's weirdness Em," a grumpy voice griped. "It's the morning and, frankly, I don't blame her for the added venom to your jokes at this unholy hour of the morning."

Ah, yes. Rosalie was doing just mighty fine this disgustingly early morning.

Emmett looked contemplative to both mine and Rose's comments before his eyes twinkled mischievously, all his former pain forgotten. "That's bloody brilliant, Bella!" Then he paused. "I just sounded like one of those English dudes for a minute there."

Then he seemed to get over his Harry Potter moment for he said, "Do you have any other means of surprising torture you would like to share with the Master of Mischief?" He wiggled his eyes brows as he gesture to himself.

I laughed freely before replying, "You should see what I do to pinkies that break their promises, Oh great Master."

"I believe we could learn much knowledge from one another, my protégé," he countered. "And I like that way you call me 'Master. Like I'm some god, or some other crap like that that's freaking awesome." He paused. "Even though I already am."

I had some wavering, yet exciting thoughts about what our teamwork could lead to.

Me + Emmett+(possible cookies)= _Mayhem in the Middle of Nowhere._

It had a certain ring to it, I suppose.

"Why in the _hell_ are you two all sunshine and rainbows when we could all be enjoying that lovely state of being that us humans," Rose jeered specifically towards Alice at that point, "call sleep?"

"Rosie, baby," Emmett said in all seriousness. Which could never be a good thing because, really, who puts Emmett and serious together? No one all that bright, I tell you and I just met the kid."I told you why we are here on this fine morning already." Rose scoffed when he said 'this fine morning'. Emmett paused theatrically. "'There. Are. _Waffles_."

And, to Emmett, that's all that mattered.

Rosalie rolled her big, beautiful, bluish-purple eyes at him, then turned her stare accusingly towards me. "You hate the morning nearly as much as me. Why are you all peachy keen?"

Rose can be scary sometimes. She looked like she was about to attack me. And I wouldn't exactly put is past her considering it was the same person who decided that some admirers of hers needed to be taught a lesson. I _highly_ doubt they will ever be able to have kids.

Good thing I know her weakness.

I held up the coffee wordlessly in explanation.

Now she looked like she was going to attack the _coffee. _Which I wouldn't put past her, either.

And I let her do it because, the caffeine had already made its way through my system, while she was still very caffeine-_less._

As much fun as I had with Emmett, damn him a bit. Just a little bit because I could never fully damn him. I would feel too guilty. Even if it were just in my mind, because really, how can anyone truly get mad when he had those _dimples_?

But shame on him for ruining my perfect opportunity to interrogate Alice on the _Account of the Identical Green Eyes Case_. Or the AIGEC. That worked a little bit better. I really had a thing for code names didn't I?

I didn't realize I was pouting over the AIGEC until the unmistakable drawl of Jasper snuck up behind me.

"Why so glum, sugarplum?"

I gasped. And everyone's head turned to me questionably. I threw them a look that said _What? I'm jumpy. And it's the freaking _morning. Rose nodded empathetically towards me, while the little burst of sunshine that were Alice and Emmett still looked confused.

"I'm fine, I guess…"I started to answer Japser. But I didn't finish because Emmett was practically savaging the waffle-y goodness in Jazz's arms.

I looked around to gauge everyone's reaction. They all looked slightly appalled, but like they weren't expecting any less. I just shrugged. He only beat me to it.

"Jazzy!" Alice rejoiced once upon seeing him."I thought you said you had to speak with your Lit teacher and weren't coming to breakfast this morning." She threw her arms around his neck, and it didn't look like an easy feat considering in the process, it looked like she smeared syrup all over her uniform blouse.

It looked better that way. Much better.

I thought back to my encounter with Edward yesterday, and took the time to glower at said blouse with the buttons that _just will not stay closed._

But, at the moment, Alice didn't look like she had a care in the world and didn't give a damn about a stupid shirt, despite its cruelty. Jasper put down the tray he was holding and snaked his harms around her waist while murmuring so low I could barely hear, "And miss a chance to see my beautiful girlfriend? Not for the world."

My big brother really had grown up. Never, would I _ever _expect Jazz to look at someone in the way he was gazing at Alice, let alone say something like that to her. It made me proud.

And a little bit remorseful.

I sighed resignedly. Everyone seemed to have someone. Me being the exception.

I already seemed like the fifth wheel and it wasn't the damndest place to be, I'll tell you that.

Then Alice gasped, realizing that her blouse was soiled from the sugary sweetness so called syrup. I like alliteration.

"Oh my shirt! This ugly, ugly excuse for a shirt." She looked at us helplessly. "I'm sorry but I must bid you all ado and change. To da loo!" She skippered off. Ha. She rhymed.

Damn it all to the librarian uniform! Now I have to wait even longer to attempt to ask her about my queries on the AIGEC.

Now, I'm going to have to wait until the next opportunity to be alone with her, which could be…_hours._

And really, I was bothered enough already. And the association that I had realized existed had only been in my head about… six minutes, or so.

I could tell this was going to be one of those _long_ days. And the first bell hadn't even rung yet.

ooo

Romeo, Romeo…where art thou Romeo to save me from the boredom that is my History class?

The clock was one of those really annoying ones that you can hear each and every tick. I would stare it down and battle with my eyes, but it seemed to be winning. With every infuriating tick it tocked, it seemed to move slower and slower towards the end of the period. Now it just seemed to start moving backwards.

_So that's how it's going to be…_

**I glanced around the unextraordinary room, over the unextraordinary face of my teacher, only to see the curly head of Jessica **_**I-can't-seem-to-keep-my-mouth-shut**_** Stanley. She had been blabbering to me about some ridiculous celebrity scandal and she made it seem like as if it was the sole topic of her life. That made me sad.**

**But it made me consider my options. Maybe she would know something about Edward No-Name. She seemed like she made it her business to know everyone else's business. Maybe I could use her business of knowing everyone else's business so she could help me with my business… I should never go into business. All I do is get a lovely banging sensation in my head.**

**And what do we call that class? **_**A headache, miss. With a touch of slight irritation.**_

**As I saw her wink at someone in a way that made her look like something was in her eye, I decided against it. I don't think it was worth having my ear chomped off.**

**Even now, she was chomping on her bubble gum a teensy bit obnoxiously, while passing notes and glancing girlishly at some boy with spikes on his head. I mean, like gelled hair spikes. That I hadn't seen on anyone since Britney 'did it again'.**

**And this guy who remained nameless, seemed to be flirting back distractedly, because he kept looking in the person behind me's direction. When he wasn't looking, I discreetly peeked behind me to see who he was checking out. **

**Only to see the face of a boy also in my Trig class, who had…**_**slight**_** acne problems, to put it nicely.**

**So either the dude with the spikes was playing for the other team, or he was checking **_**me**_** out.**

**Oh, **_**joy.**_

**Then abruptly, the bell rang, making me jump out of my seat and out the door before I could be attacked by either Mr. Spikes or the Gossiping Gabby.**

**I had made it into the crowded hallway, ready to bolt, until a grimy hand grabbed my elbow. I turned my head to see that it was none other than Mr. Spikes with an eager look on his face.**

"**Hey, you're Bella Swan right?" He asked. Before he could let me answer the obvious question, he went on, "I'm Mike Newton, at your service." **

**Oh, **_**how**_** debonair.**

"**Uh, yeah," I stuttered. "Nice to meet you, and thanks."**

"**Sure, um, if you need me to show you around of anything…" he trailed off, then winked. **

**It bothered me that all that I could think besides, **_**Disgusting,**_** was, **_**Edward did it **_**way**_** better.**_

"**Uh, yeah, I'll let you know," which I wouldn't, "Bye."**

**I scurried off before he could say another word. I was so relieved. Lunch time again which meant knowing I didn't have to do any acting around the group I had quickly become a part of. Though I had never felt more at home, it was my second day here and I felt like I had messed up their whole way of life before I came here.**

**As I pondered this, I heard a lovely little humming sound coming from the right side of me. I didn't bother looking up, as one of my handouts was being very stubborn about going into my backpack. Then, as the song the random person was humming went on, I recognized it as a classic.**

**I also recognized the honey-sweet voice crooning 'New York, New York…'**

**And knew that the only person who would hum that song on the **_**west coast**_** would be someone wanting to remind someone (me) of their homeland they missed dearly. And also to annoy the heck out of them.**

**And the only person that had ever made a big deal about me being from New York was…**

**Goodear. Edward Goodear.**

"**Still cumbersome as ever I see," he taunted towards me. Well, hello to you to, buddy. Jeez, that's the first thing he has to say to a person who is having a extremely long day? Really?**

"**As always," I retorted back. Well, if he wasn't going to be nice to me, I didn't see the obligation for any courtesy towards him either.**

**He tsked at me. "A little testy this fine day, are we?"**

"**No more than usual, I can assure you."**

"**Really, I come over to say hello and this is the attitude I get," he sighed, "Besides the rude exterior, what is **_**really**_** going inside the head of Miss New York?"**

**Did I look like I had a sash and ten pound of hairspray on my head?**

"**Ha ha. Ugh, I think my IQ just dropped ten points." He laughed. I marveled at the sound. Again. "Would you like me to sing 'God Bless America while I'm at it?"(**A/N: I have nothing against beauty pageant participants; it just fit!)

"**I'm going to ignore the thought of seeing you parade around in a swimsuit. Again," he jeered, reminding me of the picture he looked of me and Rose a tad scantily clad. "And also, beauty pageants aren't for stupid people. All the participants must attend college or had to attend because, technically, it's a scholarship program." **

"**And just how do you know so much about beauty pageants?" I grilled.**

**And then he stopped like he had been shocked. The color in the perfection of his face drained considerably. His eyes (Or Alice's eyes, **_**really**_**) widened to the point that it looked that it would be stuck that way for a while.**

**I had nailed the master of comebacks.**

**I felt like jumping up and down, doing the hokey pokey and taunting 'Na na na na na na!' to his face.**

**I decided on just laughing hysterically. He glared at me as I went on in my laughing fit, and he only grew angrier. Which only caused my giggles to get louder. **

**Eventually, after I had sobered up (Only a bit, though) he didn't looked as flabbergasted. Instead, he got a determined look in his eyes, as if he were set on changing my mind of my assumptions.**

"**Look, it's just common knowledge. Everyone knows stuff like that about pageants." He sounded as if her were strangling himself, trying to find something credible enough that I would believe. To be perfectly honest, I would probably believe anything he told me in that voice of his. But I didn't intend on letting him know that.**

"**Hmm-mm, sure. Whatever you say," I said breezily as I walked ahead, leaving him standing somewhat helplessly in the high school hallway. I **_**really**_** like alliteration. **

"**Honestly, almost everyone with a TV knows about it."**

"**Right," I drew the word out. "So then why don't I know about it?"**

"**Because it's **_**you **_**and I wouldn't expect you to know that, much less anything else about the world going on around you."**

**That stopped me in my tracks. It was so stupid because is was about something so stupid, but I felt…**_**disheartened. **_

**I felt the traitor tears prick my eyes. I really shouldn't have cared what he thought I was like, because I knew it wasn't true But for some reason, his opinion of me mattered and right now it didn't look so good.**

**I didn't retort as my usual self would. I simply gave him a look that far portrayed any emotion that I could ever fake, and walked away.**

**But just before I turned my head, I saw the utter shock reach the bastard's eyes, and before he could mutter one word of apology, I was already halfway down the hall.**

**My eyes were blurry and I couldn't avoid the people in my path and that led to the inevitable running into the Gossiping Gabby that was Jessica **_**OMG**_** Stanley.**

"**Hey Bella!" she cheered. Either she was too dense to notice the state I was in or was ignoring the fact entirely, thinking that the one thing I needed was some cheering up.**

**What I desperately needed was to be **_**alone.**_

"**So," she went on, "I saw you talking over there to **_**Edward Masen**_**." She wiggled her eyebrows, emphasizing his name as if he were a celebrity. Son of a gun probably thought he was.**

**And he finally had a last name! It wasn't a weird name by any means, so there was nothing that I could draw from his surname to fit into what I had seen of his rude personality.**

"**Yeah, but…" I was gonna say that I didn't want to talk about him, but then my earlier idea came back to me. Even though he was a total asshole to me, it didn't mean I still didn't want to know about him and his association with Alice.**

"**Isn't he so…uh!" She exclaimed, her eyes glazing over as I'm sure mine had all night.**

"**I know," I responded. There was no other way to put, as I grudgingly agreed with Jessica.**

**She sighed dreamily. "Yeah, it's too bad he's like…"**

"**Like what?"**

"**Well," she lowered her voice as if she was letting me in on some top secret information. For all I knew, it could have been. "He's just…doesn't exactly have too many friends here."**

**That was a wakeup call. He seemed like the type that knew everyone and was named 'Hunk of the Year'. Lord knows who I would have voted for, despite his increasing jerkiness. I had to cross that off my list of ideas I had about Edward. **

**Needless to say, it was a long list.**

"**Why not?" I asked, my curiosity peaking. I heard that old phrase going off in the back of my head about curiosity and the cat, but I stomped it out with something an old teacher once told me.**

**Curiosity never killed anything…except maybe a couple of hours.**

"**He's not exactly like a **_**loner**_**, really," she said it like it was an expletive. "He just mostly keeps to himself. Edward's always perfectly polite to everyone, I guess. I was a little bit unsettled by that too, considering he had been anything but 'perfectly polite' to me." she seemed disgruntled by that thought. I guess because she wanted to be treated more than 'perfectly polite' by him. "He never goes to lunch, but he hangs out with a few close people most of the time." She seemed a **_**teensy**_** bit jealous.**

Even if he had trouble filtering his mouth to his brain, I was no one to say that I wasn't a little jealous, too. He was a mystery waiting to be solved and it looked like I wasn't the only one wanting to be Nancy Drew.

"Like who?" I queried. Maybe I knew them. Although, I had a hard time believing that he would hang out with someone like Mr. Spikes. Mike. Right. I could definitely see myself calling him that by accident one day.

Before Gossiping Gabby could answer, a chirpy little voice chanted in my ear, "Ready for lunch, Bella?"

I spun around to see Alice, stain free, with an annoyed look on her face that was pointed at Jessica. Rosalie stood behind her with a similar expression. Only Rose looked _slightly_ scarier.

Jessica only looked shocked that the two goddesses of the school were within reaching distance.

"Um, yeah, I'm ready." I looked back at Jess. "I'll see you later."

After giving her astounded face a small smile, we were on our way to lunch, while, along the way, the two beauties standing next to me kept giving me odd looks. They were probably wondering why I looked like my puppy ran away and I was trying to figure out why.

I was wondering the same thing.

ooo

"Ca caa!" Really annoying parrot number one.

"Ca caa!" Really annoying parrot number two.

"Ca caaaaaa!" Both really annoying parrots numbers one _and_ two.

Okay, so maybe sitting in the middle of the courtyard filled with parrots _wasn't _such a good place to do my homework. But come _on,_ there was a sliver of sunshine that hit one bench so nicely that I couldn't resist.

The real reason, though, despite all the glamour a slightly damp and muggy courtyard presented, for coming out here was to hide.

It was stupid and ridiculous and just plain mean. But…

When we arrived at lunch, I kept getting the strangest of looks from Alice. Repeatedly. Even _Emmett _noticed the weirdness of her stare. And Emmett, from what I had seen, wasn't the type of person to look up from his food until it was completely devoured. And then he'll steal your food.

I guess Alice had heard some of my conversation with Jessica. Maybe she thought I was being nosy, or whatever. But she's one to talk! Talking a mile a minute and questioning every detail there was to know! _Calm down, Bella. She's been nothing but nice to you and you're not really mad at her. You know you're directing your frustration on the first person you can_.

Ugh. I hate when part of me is right and the other part is mad at the first part for being a smarty pants so the second part and …ugh. My mind truly scares me sometimes.

My mom used to say that I always looked so sad whenever I was supposed to be happy. I always told her that I was just thinking. But the real reason behind that was that, at the time, I actually _was _thinking. Which is never a safe thing, really. My brain can really frighten a person (That person being me).

On the subject of my mom, I really should talk to her. My phone had died just after I had my unexpected call from Alice last night and there was no way that I would have called her this morning. Besides, she wouldn't have been up, either. Where do you think my obsession with sleep and extreme hatred form the morning came from?

As I mused over what people had done before coffee was invented (the dark ages, I know) a dark and brooding tune floated to my ears. It sounded deep and distressed, and as I listened I realized that the notes coming from a piano couldn't have been form a CD or anything of the like. Every now and then, the notes would halt abruptly then build up again, never the same way twice. Almost as if…it was being written as the faceless person played.

I looked around and squinted as the metal of a windowsill sent a ray of light in my direction. I checked the open windows, but the inside was too dark compared to the bright daylight to see anything, anyway. Besides, just about every window on the ground floor was open to let in the rare sunlight.

Giving up (both on the search for the source of the music and my trig homework), I stood up, stretching my arms above my head, hearing my bones crack into a comfortable position. As I started to move my head around, I looked down at the loathed blouse to see that it was, yet again, opening up. Well, hello!

After, er…readjusting myself, I looked toward the partly cloudy sky with two things on my mind: Edward Cullen and a chocolate ice cream cone I had seen people eating earlier.

I turned into my quest to find some chocolately goodness and the music that I assumed was being written stopped all together completely. I passed an open window where I had heard a bustling of papers. But when I looked inside, all I saw was a closing door. I shrugged, not really caring. My chocolate was more important.

But before I could get to my sugar fix, the _last_ voice that I possibly wanted to hear (with the exception of my English teacher…ew) called out my name.

"Bella!"

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh!!!!!!

No no no no no no no no no!!!!!!!!!

Not freaking _happening._

_Dear God, why me? _

_Love,_

_You know who it is._

"Bella!" that voice that sounded like melting chocolate called again. Well, if he thought that I was stupid, I was more than happy to play along. It wasn't _my_ fault he had a terribly perverted view of me and decided to believe that I wasn't worth having manner towards me. Fine. By. Me.

It's a free freaking country and I was free to say whatever the hell I wanted. Though some of the things I _wanted_ to say would most likely end up with me going to confession.

"Wait up!" Edward yelled again. I didn't give him the satisfaction of looking at him. From the way he sounded from behind my retreating figure, I figured he was jogging to catch up to me. Look who's running now, buddy boy.

"Ugh! What are you deaf, too?" Nearly. I had an accident one summer which included me underwater and my cousin sitting on me. They doubted I would be able to hear anything at all in my right ear ever again. But that was besides the point.

He had caught up to me now, which meant that I was forced to look at his perfection. His cheeks were windblown from running, his eyes alive with excitement. His hair was a mop on his perfect head. Didn't he own a freaking comb? For God's sake, doesn't he know that sex hair is somewhat stimulating to hormonal teenage girls? He probably did.

"I'm sorry, what?" I said to him, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't realize you socialized with people with only partial brain capacity."

I heard him sigh. It was making him stressed out?! He wasn't the one who was completely embarrassed by a near complete stranger!

That would be…me! Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

"You know that's not what I meant."

"No." I stopped, turning onto him to take him by surprise. I saw his tired eyes widen slight. "No. I don't know what you meant because I don't know you." He looked dejected, as if he had been kicked in the stomach, and then was forced to answer a hard question.

"I didn't mean…" he began, rubbing his hands over his face before starting again. "I was just mad at you because…"

"What? Cat got your tongue?" I jeered.

His tongue tied expression left his face abruptly. His eyes took on a new determination, and as he straightened up, he said, "Because you were right," I was floored that _he_ could say such a thing to _me_, before he finished, "about possibly one of the stupidest conversations I've ever had the chance of having."

Half a point for Bella.

I snorted, before turning to walk away. "Is that your idea of an apology? I would work on that if I were you, just for future circumstances." I'm sure his loud mouth would lead him to similar occasions again. And not in the distant future from what I had learned about him so far.

"Well, I didn't exactly expect you to get so upset about a _joke_. When the _hell_ did you get so fragile?" He was right. And yet I couldn't answer him because I didn't even know and it's freaking _me_, so how could I tell _him_?

I walked away again, feeling even crappier than before.

He suddenly grabbed my arm with his long fingers, jerking me back around so that are faces were _way_ too close for my hormonal state. _Breathe. The. Hell. In. Bella._

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes shining with a sincerity that I had only seen identically in Alice's eyes. Bringing back the subject of the AIGEC. Ugh.

I looked away nervously. He seemed to realize that he still had a _tight_ hold on my arm, and let go.

"Uh, thanks." I hadn't really been expecting that. Hell, I didn't know that he was capable of apologizing at all. Because I really didn't know him. And it bothered me to no end that I really _wanted _to.

"My pleasure…" he trailed off. When he said something so classic like that, it made his voice sound even more…_oooh._ Which I had never deemed completely possible.I looked back at him. He had a, dare I say, _sweet_ expression on his face. When he wasn't being so offensive towards people…he looked even better than he already did. That could be an extremely dangerous combination.

"Right, so, I'm gonna go," I didn't really want to, but awkward silences, as we have already, gone over, are _not_ exactly my area of expertise.

"Wait, a sec," he scratched his head. He looked a bit apprehensive. Why was he prolonging the inevitable? I wanted to get out of here as fast as possible before I made a fool of myself. Again.

Before he could ask whatever the hell he wanted to ask me, I heard light footsteps halt from their path before the Goddamned _pixie_ had that way of coming at the _best _moments. So now she decides to be physic again? It only goes on and off at her disposal? Not. Freaking. Fair.

"Bella? I was just looking for you…" Alice stopped, looking at the person I was talking to. "Edward? What are you doing here? I thought you had sworn off all daylight."

"Ha ha, Alice." It sounded like something that I would say. And I can't make any comparisons between us because it just adds to the complicated mush that is my mind. " I was just talking to my friend Bella, here."

Bipolar hot guy said _what_?

He considered me his _friend_. I felt elated. And I felt stupid when I realized just how elated I was feeling.

And I felt even more stupid ( I know, I dint think it was possible) when I realized I wasn't paying attention to the interaction between the two. It could add major information to the AIGEC.

"Wait a minute." Said Alice. "_Your_ friend Bella? She's _my_ friend. How do you know her?"

"Wait, how do you know her?

"Bella?" They both turned on me and it was kinda creepy. Considering the fact that they had the same expression in their eyes at the exact same time and it was worse than Jazz and Rose's twin telepathy crap.

"Before anyone explains anything else, how do you two know each other?" I asked, hoping for the answer that had been (and still was) plaguing me.

They both looked surprised. Not a good enough word. Astounded. Yeah. They looked astounded.

"Well, Bella…"

**I'm mean, I know. But if we don't reach enough reviews, I'm pulling the plug, I swear on the sake of Starbuck's. When we know that eighty of you read in one day and we only got three reviews that day, that says something.**

**But I'm going to reward you. If we reach up to fifty reviews, I will update within 48 hours of the 50****th**** review and I PROMISE that there will be some much love EPOV.**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it like we hate mean cookie stealers? Review about it!**

**Love, **

**The Oxi and the Moron.**


	9. My Good Friend Guilt

**You are really hurting my feelings, guys. Is the story really that bad that you couldn't just give us eight more reviews? In my opinion, you don't deserve this chapter but I'm updating because I'm staying with my aunt for ten days and won't be able to update till then. I'm really upset, as shallow as it may sound. You're about to read the nice author's note that I wrote before the betrayal, so I hope those of you who didn't review are feeling a bit guilty . Eh, it goes along with the chapter.**

**-----**

**Hey y'all! Still waiting on those lovely reviews from all those lovely readers out there. Did you know we get readers from freaking Bulgaria? I mean, Bul-freaking-garia? If those people from Bulgaria could please drop a review once and a while, I'd be much obliged…**

**HUGE thanks to skyisthelimit for betaing for the first time for us. She's awesome!**

**Kay, so last time we left you with a big cliff hanger****. ****We've had a few people make guesses as to who this Edward is (besides the god of our dreams ;))**

**Anyway, lots of foreshadowing *wink wink* in this chapter. Still loving those reviews…we want MORE please! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…SHOWTIME!!!**

Chapter 8:My Good Friend Guilt

EPOV

There have been ways of telling time from before the last reign of the pharaohs in Egypt, as well as in other parts around the world.

Actual clocks have been in existence since long before the Elizabethan era, and sundials before that. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, quantities, etc.

So I had been around clocks for as long as I can remember. Since the vintage circa 1930 mechanical clock that hung over the kitchen sink at my old apartment in Chicago when I had yet to had learned to tell time to the alarm that I used every morning to blare the time of day _every_ hour of every day in bright, red digits to me.

So, clearly, I knew a little bit about how clocks worked.

And yet the priceless clock hanging on the east wall facing the courtyard of PLB that had been bought by Carlisle at a flea market in Marrakesh was annoying the crap out of me because of the incessant _ticking. _

It wasn't a regular clock that ticks silently and peacefully. No, it was a one of a kind cuckoo freaking clock that allowed you to hear every tick it tocked till every quarter hour when a cuckoo bird pops out and… _cuckoos._

The Goddamn clock only added onto that rotten feeling in your stomach you get when you know you're up to your knees in crap and there is no way out.

My foot tapped a beat faster than the ticking as my anxiety continued to build and build. Though Esme had completed the room to a't' and had lovingly made sure that every artifact from over the years that Carlisle owned coincided with one another, his office did nothing but add to my growing worry.

Just as I was considering making the cuckoo bird disappear like a canary(minus the eating it part…) the door adjacent to the desk swung open and revealed a disappointed looking Carlisle and a tired looking Patrick.

They both gave me half hearted smiles that almost made me crumble in my resolve. Almost. No. I knew what I was doing, whether they believed me, or not.

"Hello, Edward," Carlisle greeted. Patrick smiled good naturedly at me and it killed me a little. I don't think it ever won't _stop_ killing.

They were both dressed impeccably, as usual, most likely outfits picked out by their wives. Though their countenance of being the kindhearted owners of the school easily showed, it was overtaken by the severity both set of eyes held whenever they looked at me.

"Carlisle, Patrick. What can I do for you?" I replied, trying my best to look upbeat. They didn't look very convinced.

"Well, Edward…." Carlisle started._ Here we go_, I thought. "We've been talking lately about what's been going on and, although we're sure that you have your reasons for how you've been going about things-"

"We don't necessarily agree with the methods of coping that you've taken up," Patrick finished for him. Why did he have to be here? Didn't he get it already? Didn't he have an inkling as to _why_ I was so damn distant?

"I mean no disrespect for either of you," and I didn't. They were two of the most honorable people I knew. _Alive, at least. _"Or any of the others for that matter. But, it really is my own business how I cope," I hated that term, "and though I know all you want to do is help, I think I need to do this my way."

They both looked like they expected no less. But I suppose they had to try. I would never say so, but trying would get them nowhere in this case.

I loathed how all adults or friends or family and the like would all do the same things when tragedy strikes. You get treated so delicately, as if you will break if one wrong word is spoken.

In eight grade health, the curriculum covered the several stages of depression. And, at the time, it bugged me to no end. What, were we all clones that react the same way, at the same time and go through phases like a textbook? Now, after having an…_experience_, I guess you could call it, I wanted to scream at whoever the hell thought that I would go be another clone. Not. Happening. Bucko.

"Alright," Carlisle cleared his throat, sharing a glance with Patrick. "Despite what we may have said in the past, we do respect your wishes, though we do not like them."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You didn't say those things the last time we had one of your impromptu 'meetings'.

"We just miss you, son," said Patrick, his brow furrowing in a type of concern that I hadn't seen in nearly a year.

_That's it._

I hated when they did this. I hated when _all_ of them did this. Trying to hold me down unto the guilt I had been fighting for ten months. Attempting to use their kind words to make me feel bad enough to return to the way things were. The way things could _never_ be again.

And Carlisle always has to bring Patrick. That maybe if I saw him it would make things better. All it did was make me feel like a knife was shoved into my gut and turned ever so slowly.

After bidding them adieu, I took the time to evaluate all the encounters I now had with the people I loved. Nowadays there were very few. And when they did occur, it was never exactly pretty.

The women were by far worse than the men when it game to pushing on the guilt factor.

They handled it differently than the men saw it, at least Patrick and Carlisle did. The women who I loved most in the world were smarter. They knew to be _subtle_. They would rarely say anything that would pertain to my situation. But they would look up at me with _those_ eyes. The eyes of someone who had experienced great heartbreak and were allowing me to see the pain they were going through with just a glance.

Or they would smile at me, but the smile looked like it killed them to do so. They were better than Patrick and Carlisle because they knew _me_. Though I had once had a very close relationship with each and every one of them, the girls knew if they ever said anything about last summer, or anything of the like, I would blow up at them.

Apparently, Carlisle and Patrick didn't seem to get it yet.

Though every time I looked at the loving brown eyes of Esme my heart broke a little more, Alice was by far the worst.

Alice had always been my partner in crime, and more than that, my other half. Rarely would one of us be seen without the other. Until that _day_. And the months leading up to it.

What the worst thing about Alice now was that she by far knew me the best out of my entire cluster of family members, blood related and others that were not. Alice knew my limits and how much I could take before I would snap. And now every time I saw her, she insisted on pushing me to the edge of that border.

Despite what people may think, that…insane girl was also the smartest human being that I have had the privilege of knowing and knew that with every interaction we had, I was breaking down more and more on my resolve.

That cunning little pixie of a cousin I had.

ooo

**Scary music plays…**

**Who Could It Be's? POV**

She had the perfect life now.

She was striking, untouchable, seemingly leading the ideal life.

Every day she woke up at the same time, wore the same clothes and talked to the same people and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. She rarely complained and seemed just plain happy to be living the life that she had.

It was something that I couldn't fathom because I never had it. And never would have it.

And soon, neither would she.

**Dramatic, I know.**

**We know who Edward is!!!!! Sorry I drew it out so long, but be lucky because I was so close to waiting till the next chapter to reveal the connection.**

**If we don't get some amazing reviews, I'm demanding a refund on all the time and effort we have put into this story. Well, that **_**I **_**have put into it because Nicole is off gallivanting (isn't that an awesome word?) across the country and what not. **

**Also, BIG shout out to AnEverFixedMark to putting out an ad for our story in hers. We love you for it!**

**Check out her story! Called An Alien's Humor-Really good!**

**All Our Love,**

**The Oxi and the Moron**


	10. Midnight Meditations

**Chapter 9: Midnight Meditations**

**Enjoy the show! I've found it's really cool if you read this in the ½ setting!**

The cool quietness of the padded hallway engulfed me as I tiptoed aimlessly past room after room. My feet were noiseless as I kept silently searching for my destination.

I came to the corner of one corridor only to find another dead end on both sides. I sighed. This was going to be a long night.

***

After taking in one plunging breath, I quickly turned the corner. I smiled triumphantly when I had finally found my target.

The kitchen. Who can resist a good omelet in the wee hours of the morning?

The one of several kitchens that was located in my section of the boarding rooms had all new , stainless steel appliances. The countertops were adorned with dark granite slabs that glinted when I switched the overhead light on.

I cautiously opened the refrigerator to see if it was stocked with everything or anything really, that I needed. I nearly gasped, but then again, I felt sort of stupid for being awed by a Frigidaire. It was stuffed in every nook and cranny of the compartments, most of the ingredients unopened.

I looked through the produce and decided some ripe looking tomatoes accompanied by several of the different cheeses displayed would make a fine midnight meal.

Eggs cracked and sizzling on the skillet, I thought over my first week that I had somehow survived at High School Hell that somehow demanded tuition.

Or rather, thinking of the many things that had raced through my mind for a good part of the past week concerning only _one_ specimen.

Edward Goodear Masen.

Cue sigh.

Despite the somewhat less than polite encounters that I had had with the guy, I still couldn't get over his just overall hot-_ness_. He was like Leo in Romeo in Juliet, but in real life, so the emotions that you experience when watching the movie were intensified tenfold.

Only, I think that Edward might have had something on him.

But mostly, what had me here at nearly two o'clock in the morning was my inability to sleep from the enlightening information I had received after Edward had made his abrupt departure from Alice and me.

After I had asked the both of them, in a way that sounded too much like an ultimatum in my opinion, the very question that had been an outbreak in my thoughts, they stared, dumbfounded, before Alice attempted to answer me.

But before she could tell me anything at all, Edward was out of there like Jasper from a Victoria's Secret. He rushed away with only a 'I gotta go' and ran off in the opposite direction. I was beginning to learn that he wasn't one that like to lead anyone to believe that he acted without drama.

And I knew that he didn't' 'gotta go' 'cause just moments before Alice arrived, he had beckoned me ntot to leave _him_! I didn't know if he realized, though he probably did, that every little action of word that he uttered had sent me into countless circles in my mind.

And I hadn't known the guy a whooping week.

So _anyway_, after he made his departure Alice gave me an unsurprised look and said, _"I would get used to that if you're going to be around. It never ends," she said with a roll of her malachite eyes._

Then she told me the much too edited tale, for my taste, that was of the Goodeared, Badmouthed Edward Masen.

"_So, I don't know how well you know Edward, and from what I've seen, not too well, but what do I know?" She said with a far too cocky look on her face. Sweet little Alice was taunting me. "You could be in league with him in a multi-million dollar crime…thingy, and it could totally be beyond me." _

"Alice_," I groaned. "This is worse than when you're watching TV and the suspense is building and it cut's to commercial trying to sell me birth control!"_

"_Alright, alright, you've convinced me to tell you, since you want to know_, oh so desperately_," she insinuated with her tone._

"_I'm not _desperate_," she stopped me with a short look. "I'm just… inquisitive."_

"_Call it what you may, but what I heard from Rosalie was that no guy ever came close to snagging your attention, even to know a simple fact about him, that she was even contemplating which side you were _really_ played for for a while."_

Well, I guess Benjamin Franklin knew what he was talking about when he said, _To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girlfriends._

Rose would always be there to help in a situation when someone else needed dirt; she had about as much dirt on me as she has car magazines.

"_But back to the topic," I hinted at the little sprite of a woman._

What I heard did not necessarily disappoint, for I had heard the basics of what I wanted to be revealed but…

I never thought Alice could be vague, but she proved me wrong.

So apparently I was right in making the family connection through the eyes between the two of them. I was more than relieved to hear the explanation of them being cousins then I could have imagined because it made my question my sanity that much less.

_Cousins._

She had told me that much and not much else. Alice explained that their fathers had been twins, until something dramatic caused their caused their family to separate.

It appears that Alice and Edward had been quite the twosome in their younger years. But, as I'm told by Alice, something so huge and catastrophic, that was strong enough to rip apart the bonds they had forged, came along.

But that was all Alice told me. She explained to me that the rest of the story wasn't her secret to tell. All she revealed was that Edward was so affected by the dramatic event that had separated himself from his family, indefinitely.

She even said that she still did not completely understand the true intentions behind Edward's decisions, and this was _Alice_ of all people.

So I decided that the AIGEC (Account of the Identical Green Eyes Case) had officially come to a close.

But…

How could he do that? Shutting out his own family in a time of distress for them all?

The endless comments that I had on whatever the hell had happened had kept me up every night this week. Which is what lead me to rather large communal kitchen, right about to eat all of my problems away. Or at least try to.

After my omelet looked to be about two degrees past looking scrumptious, I scoured the white wood covered cabinets for the proper utensil's, and made my way to the cinema center.

For every segment of the boarding rooms on every floor at PLB, the school provided the proper accommodations for the everyday teenager, which happened to include a wide, flat screen TV with every movie made in the past thirty years ago by the looks of it.

The media station basically consisted of large, comfy looking couches with the occasional armchair and footrest, all surrounding one _scary_ looking TV.

And the remote looked even scarier.

I was just about to sit down when a soft twang that I was very familiar with broke through the darkness of the room. "Hey, kid."

"Ahhhh!" I screamed and spun with one hand on my chest and the other holding my steaming plate of food. Looking far too comfortable for my current liking, Jasper was curled up on and arm chair with his well used, easily recognizable guitar slung across his lap.

"Sorry, Bells! I forgot you were _quite_ so jumpy."

"No worries. Just let me get my heart rate to a somewhat more normal pace." My chest was still heaving and I could feel my heart pounding in my ears. I don't care how stupid I may _sound,_ but it could have been a serial killer for all I knew and not sweet, dependable Jazz.

It took me a few more moments, but I managed to calm myself down enough to sit down on the couch adjacent to Jasper and begin to enjoy my midnight meal.

"So, how's life hangin' Jazz-man?"

"Still not the best in the nick-naming department, I see," Jasper mused.

"Pssh," I objected at him. Hello, this was the mind that created the genius of Edward Goodear talking. "But, no, really…how _is _everything? I haven't, exactly been- well I was more or less exiled, to be honest, so I'm totally in the dark,"

"I know," he sighed. "There's so much to tell you with what's happened. But then again, it's weird that you _don't_ know, all the stuff that's been going on, you know?" He paused. "It's been… well, do you want the abridged version of the fully loaded?"

I only arched my brow.

"Of course, I don't know why I thought to even ask," he reprimanded himself. He really should have known better, anyway. "I guess I'll start with the greater of the two problems and then work backwards. After that slimy excuse of a man laid his hands on Rose, it was like…like I had gone back in time, in the fifties. The man of the house had a bitch fit, and the wife silently cleans up the mess. But it was worse. My mom even tried… She even-"He stopped abruptly to take a soothing breath.

I slowly rubbed circles into his arm while trying to casually slip the guitar off his lap. In that matter that anything should get ugly, I knew Jasper wouldn't want the guitar to take the blame for the mistakes of the past.

"She even tried to act like nothing happened. Trying to pretend like Rose had fallen down the stairs, and that was why she had so many bruises." I whimpered as I imagined my beautiful, strong best friend crumpling in pain. "Constantly telling her to cover up the godforsaken cuts on her face with makeup." His frame shook with unreleased anger. "King-"the only name that Jasper used to refer to his stepfather-" was worse. While my mom acted like nothing happened, he _punished_ her for getting beaten up. Made her everyday life a living hell, I swear to God. Relentlessly throwing jibes at her and calling her out on her weaknesses.

"She didn't take anything sitting down, of course." He gave me a meaningful look. "You know my sister. Rose always fought back in the beginning, thought you could see that it was killing her to not just be able to… well, to not have _you_. And then, she just gave up for a while. It just wasn't worth the fight with seeing no change in demeanor from no one. It killed me, I think, more than it did her to see such a strong person just quit."

I was frozen into shock. My insides were twisting sickeningly and suddenly my omelet didn't look so appealing any more.

"And then King made the smartest move he ever did in his life. The people of the town where our house is were getting suspicious of why we never went to school, or why we were so subordinate. For God knows what reason, I was for a while. He made the snap decision to send us here, and we were so against it and then… Rose met Emmett."

He indulged in a slow, secret smile. I shared it with him. "Em was a little…well, to be perfectly honest he was a downright asshole with a soft spot for blondes. After some more than slightly amusing retaliations from Rose against Emmett's advances, they realized that they had more in common than they thought. More importantly, he was delighted over her obsession with cars." I laughed freely then. The only _true _way to Rose's heart was through a carburetor.

"And then there was Alice." Oh no. Here it comes…3,2,1…Cue dreamy smile. "She…well, she basically made my life. Like, she is my life and I can't imagine a day without her."

My eyes were welling up again, but for an entirely different reason. My Jasper, who brought in brownies and balloons and tied them to my locker for my sixteenth birthday. The same Jasper who 'ooohed' and 'aaahhed ' with me over the puppies in the pet store we passed every day, was the same Jasper that had the eyes of someone madly in love.

"Now, please, _do_ spare me all the gory details," I lightly teased to distract him from the tears oozing out of my eyes. Jazz chuckled just barely, still clearly day dreaming. At night… "But… I _would_ be inclined to listen to the first meeting."

"Well, it was here, clearly, and in a very Alice fashion, if you will," He began. Ha! He uses people's names to describe their characteristics, too. It's not just me… "This little sprout of a person was hunched over in the hallway, having dropped her books. Me, being the chivalrous person that I am," he rolled his eyes at that, "helped the little person. And then, I really looked at her…and I've never really looked away since then, I guess." He smiled faintly, then. "She didn't looked as surprised as I'm sure as my face looked. She just kept murmuring, 'I knew it…'" Jazz paused for a few moments. "And, I guess all along, she really did."

I smiled sweetly, borderline envious. I doubted I would ever get that sort of connection with someone. The best thing I had going for me right now was Mr. Spikes. Mike. I really needed to call people by their real names in my head. I was going to slip up sooner or later. Still, it was hard not to think that it was the perfect name for him. He really had every strand of his hair spiked up, as I had noticed when he sat in front of me in class.

Without really noticing at first, I realized that even though PLB was supposed to have separate classes between the boys and girls, there were small sprinklings of boys in some of my classes. When I had asked Alice and Rosalie about it, they said that some of boys' classes get full, and they send the surplus over to the girl classes. What was the point of even trying to separate them at all?

Though I knew that Jasper had talked nearly the entire time we has already spent together tonight, there was still something I was itching to know about. I knew it was most likely a tender subject to go into, but I felt like it was something that I should know about.

"Um, Jazz? Don't hate me, please, for asking, because you totally don't have to answer me, but…I was wondering if you would tell me-If you would-" I cut off, looking for the right words, "Could you tell me, what happened, right after the last time that I saw you?" I tried to look up quickly and catch his eyes, but they were downcast. Looking at him in the dim light, he looked so much _older _than I had ever imagined Jazz to ever grow to. Not so much older looking, but he had the face of someone sadder, and wiser.

"Um," he started. "Well, I guess the best place to start from is the very beginning." I nodded him on, encouraging him with my eyes.

"I suppose you never fully heard the story from my point of view." He smiled ruefully. "I was walking by myself, it was after nine, I think. I was walking to the deli with the really good bagels next to the fabric store on 37th, because I had a really bad craving for them. I went into the store, and went directly up to the register, where they keep the baked goods. The guy had his back to me.

"That's when I heard the first gunshot." As he said this, Jazz started to shake with pent up anger; but his eyes were watering and they looked as if the past was repeating itself in the quiet confines of the school. " A guy with a ski mask came from behind me with a big empty sack and an antique looking revolver pointed at me. He yelled at the clerk to put the money in the bag, but he hadn't even turned around yet. Then these insane alarms went off; I guess the guy at the counter tipped the police off. While the robber was looking around and freaking out, I tried to grab the gun from him. He caught me in a headlock, and then we heard the police sirens coming close. At that point, my hand was on the gun. He ran out of there like a bat out of hell. And the clerk _finally_ turned around, and-well let me paint the picture that he was seeing for you: Me, holding the gun, with the empty bag on the floor, looking like I'm gonna shit myself."

My brow furrowed in sympathy for Jasper. _That_ couldn't have gone too well. He kept going, his voice taking on a hysteric tone. "Apparently, the clerk had been closing up, and had turned off the security cameras just before I walked in. I think you can put two and two together and figure out that all the fingers pointed at me."

"After I was arrested," I winced at the harsh word when we were talking about innocent Jasper, "and went through all the training for the marines, life just didn't feel the same. Of course, I knew that the everyday things would be different. Like… private showering being a completely lost cause. But it was the necessary things of life that had completely altered themselves. Like, for instance, looking at the moon; we all look at the same moon every night, and yet… it felt like I wasn't _me _looking at it anymore.

"I was the kid who got himself locked up."

The hysteric timbre that his voice had taken on increased tenfold .He needed to stop. Jasper was wallowing in self hatred and all that would do is keep him trapped in the past. "Jazz, stop-"

"Which is totally fucked up!" He continued with an oath, as if I hadn't even spoken. "I was always the good kid. I was the person that you went to for help when you broke your glasses because I was the AV type kid who knew how to fix anything. I was the guy that you ask for notes when you're absent and worried myself over Algebra quizzes. And I ended up. In. Fucking. Jail."

"For Christ sakes, _stop_."

My voice, though a little hoarse from not speaking too much, shone through my frightened expression to show authority. Jasper seemed to snap out of his self bashing at my command, his eyes widening to the extreme.

"For fucks sake Bells," he smiled apologetically for cursing at me, "when the hell did you become so forceful?"

Just to prove him wrong, I blushed. Hey, my involuntary response actually came in handy!

"When did you get so self hating?"

He dropped his eyes to the floor. I sighed; I hadn't meant to offend him , but he was scaring me. I started to apologize, but he cut me off. "No, you're right. I'm being a total hypocrite. I'm the person that told you all the time to not dwell in the past, and my new address seems to be 'Summer of two years past'. " I cracked then, letting the smile I was holding in break out.

"No, but seriously." He sounded dead serious then, his blue eyes probing mine. "You, would make a _hell _of a dominatrix with your new attitude."

My eyes narrowed without my consent. I could feel my entire body tense, getting ready to spring. As Jazz was just about pissing himself over his own idea of a sick, sick joke, I grabbed one of the pillows surrounding me and aimed for his head.

When the stuffed accessory hit him directly in the eye, he stared at me, awestruck. "This is what I'm talking about…"

If he thought for one minute that that comment was going to make me blind to the fact that he was reaching for the large pillow next to him, he didn't remember my attitude at all.

I hopped up just as the pillow's trajectory was headed towards me, and reached for his guitar as a shield.

He gave me the dirtiest look I had ever seen. "Oh no, now that is _low_, Bella."

" Whatever do you mean, Jazz? Oh, you mean how I could easily damage your one of a kind, antique guitar easily?" I widened my eyes to convey my point.

Jasper looked defeated. "Fine, I'll put down my weapon and you put down yours and we'll both fight each other like civilized people." I smiled at the quote from _The Princess Bride_. "Alright, truce?"

"Truce," I agreed. "But…"

He groaned. "What, now, _Bella dear_?"

"I'm a bit di9sappointed in you that you failed to tell me that you had the best tasting stuff on earth with you," I accused staring at the barely opened package of Chips Ahoy! Chewy that was hidden behind the armchair that Jazz had been residing in.

"Oh, about that…" I raised my hand to stop him from talking his way further into a ditch.

"It's fine; I can understand why you would do that." I gave him a meaningful look, remembering the time I had single handedly polished off four boxes of these cookies.

He laughed good naturedly and picked up his guitar and the blanket he had been snuggled under. "Well, I'm gonna go head by Alice's room and we're gonna hang out."

I scrunched up my face. "What's the matter?" He asked.

"The thought of you and Alice. Hanging. Out."

Jazz outright guffawed then. "God, Bella. Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Sorry, but it's taken upd residency there. And, hey, what else am I supposed to think? Two teenagers of the opposite sex 'hanging out' in the wee hour of the morning, in the confined of a bedroom? I. Don't. Think. So. Buddy."

He only shook his head, and then his eyes sparkled a bit. It wasn't hard to tell that Jasper was easy on the eyes, and I'm sure any girl would die to be in Alice's position when Jazz had that look on his face.

"Knock yourself out on those cookies."

I looked at him strangely. "Are you sure you know what you're saying?"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Just take this; it might come in handy." He handed me a _Tide to Go_ stick, and said, "Night, kid."

"Night, Jazz. Have fun 'hanging out'."

He glared at me playfully as he turned the corner.

Bleh. Alice and Jasper hanging out.

***

This. Is. Heaven.

There's just no other way to describe these magical cookies. They have the perfect amount of chocolate chips and have are just…._perfect_.

The inside is chewy and the batter is so scrumptious that they make me smile. We're talking about a cookie here, people. These types of thoughts cannot be normal for any person. As I was marveling the amazing-ness that is Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookies, it came to my attention that some of the chocolate chips had smeared on the T-shirt I was wearing.

Aw, crap. I love this T-shirt. It's so soft and cuddly and it makes me feel at home, even in this place.

Plus, Rose had found it on the internet and said that after seeing it, she _had_ to get it for me. Adorned on the light blue shirt was a sketch of large magnet, reading 'Danger Magnet' underneath it.

I was a bit insulted at first, and I let her know it too. But it was witty and more than anything else, it was the absolute truth. So I was a little put out with myself that I had gotten it dirty.

Then I remembered the _Tide to Go_ stick Jasper had lended me. Perfect! How would he have known that I was going to need it? Maybe Alice had warned him…

I took the cap off, and read the directions on the side. Sounded easy enough. I pressed the plastic tip oof the marker to the shirt, to the area just below my shoulder. Nothing happened. I pressed a little harder and the liquid squirted out onto my shirt.

It was an uncomfortable position for me, so I put my hand underneath my shirt to create a surface for me to rub the marker on and started to see the chocolate fade away. It actually works…

"What is it with you and revealing your chest when I see you?"

With a shriek, I spun around my head to see Agent Goodear looking all sexy and everything in a hoodie **(A/N: Only a zipup…!XD)** and sweats.

My cheeks flamed up as I worked to smooth my shirt down from where it had ridden up. "And what is it with you and bad timings?" I retorted.

He smirked, raking his fingers through that friggin sex hair to reveal his incredibly cute ears. "Touché."

"So…"

"So…" he mimicked.

I glared at him as he sat down where I had been previously sitting when I was with Jasper, as I was now taking up Jazz's seat. "So…" stop it, I told him when he looked to copy me again, "besides stalking me, what else do you like to do, All Knowing One?"

He raised his eyebrows at the nickname. "I could get used to that…" He laughed a lovely laugh, although it was short-lived. "Um, I don't really do much at all during the year."

"You know, not to be totally vapid and shallow, but I really just wanted to call you out on stalking me and you don't actually have to answer the question. Although," I mused," you didn't call me out on the whole stalking thing. Maybe I should be concerned…" I trailed off, widening my eyes with faux alarm.

"Ha Ha, Knickerbocker."**(A/N: I don't know if y'all Westcoasters know that they call New Yorkers knickerbochers…)**

"Nice, that's the best name you could come up with for me? Pssh."

"Oh, because 'All Knowing One' is _so_ much better, I see."

"Yes, it is as a matter of fact."

"Uh-huh. That's rich. So if you're so good at making up names for people, give me another one."

I blushed thinking about the one that I had already created for him. I hoped that in the dm lighting of the cinema center, he wouldn't have noticed. But apparently, he did.

"What? What's so embarrassing? What is it?"

I shook my head frantically at his questions, my face heating up further. I bit my bottom lip to keep from somehow letting it slip out. And for some reason, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. Apparently, somewhere deep inside me found this amusing. I would have to have a talking to myself later on how we act in embarrassing situations.

His eyes narrowed and he began to approach me slowly from his spot on the couch. In response, I backed up a little bit, though it was a little bit difficult because I had my hands wrapped around my knees on the armchair.

"What aren't you telling me?" He probed.

"Nothing," I squeaked out.

His-or Alice's- eyes looked determined. "You know what this means, don't you?" Edward came even closer and closer, and although I tried to move away, I was at a dead end.

"Just what are you hiding from me?"

I shook my head, as I grew more and more hysteric and the urge to laugh became prominent for God knows what reason.

He was close to me. So close that I could feel the heat radiating off of him, seeping into my clothing. I had only been in such close proximity with him once before and I planned to savor it now. He smelled clean, a triumph for any teenage boy. But there was more to it. As I breathed him in, I was strongly reminded of the heated summers and the strong aroma of scented sun tan lotion. He smelled of summertime in the middle of the fall.

Edward smirked 'the Edward smirk'. I was up against the far wall after having stumbled over the various items of furniture littered across the room. He stepped even closer, as if it was even possible, and put both of his hands of either side of my head against he wall.

Now , laughing was the farthest thing from my mind. His breath, which was fanned across my face, seemed to be a concentrated form of the smell that clung to him. It was a salty breeze along the ocean and although I always found the beach soothing, all it was doing was riling me up.

He brought his face level to mine, and it made me realize how much taller he was than I. With the orbs that had been haunting me for so long so close to me, it was a wonder that my knees didn't buckle beneath me.

"Now," he breathed, "Just what were you blushing up a storm for?" His voice was like melting chocolate and I wanted to lick it all up.

"Nothing of importance." I did my very best to not stutter and wanted to give myself a pat on the back for not doing so.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Somehow, I don't think I should believe you." His eyes, which were probing mine, glazed over at that and he looked as if he was going to something that wouldn't make me want to slap him. The words on his tongue, he opened up his mouth but nothing came out. All that was heard was, "So _I'm_ the one hanging out, Bella, huh?"

We both spun our heads around at the sound of Jasper's voice, Edward dropping his hands down from the place they had taken beside my head. Jasper was leaning against the wall of the room with his arm tucked around a distraught looking Alice who was holding a large teddy bear.

"Erm…." I struggled to explain our predicament.

"Well, Bella and I were just …um…messing around 'cause she wasn't telling me something and uh…" Edward didn't seem to be doing much better than I.

"Yeah, let's pretend I believe you for a second." Jazz looked directly at me then, and I had the decency to look a bit abashed. "Um, Alice had a bad dream and I told her that you might not have ravaged all of the cookies yet and you might be willing to share."

"Oh…yeah. Sure, here you go," I said, walking over to them and handing them the nearly empty box. I shrugged in apology at Alice. "They're my addiction; I couldn't resist."

She smiled an easy smile that also resembled Edward's. They both brought their right cheek up farther than the left and left a perfect set of teeth to be crookedly displayed.

"Right, well, goodnight again, Bella. Edward."

"'Night." Edward and I said simultaneously.

After they left, the awkward silence that I had come so accustomed to whenever I was with Edward came into play. After nearly three straight minutes of uncomfortable hush, I decided take the plunge and get out of here.

"So…I'm gonna hit the hay."

"Hmm?" He seemed to be coming off another train of thought as he brought his eyes back to me.

"I'm gonna go to bed."

"Oh. Okay. "

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Right."

This might be worse than the awkward silences…

"So, bye."

"Right."

"Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?"

"Ugh, just stop….being so….ahhh!" In my haste to escape I had tripped over the footstool. Edward rushed over to help me, despite the fact that his face was turning an odd shade of red from keeping in his laughter.

"I'm alright! I'm alright!" I stood up and brushed the nonexistent crumbs off my shirt and gave Edward what I hoped what was a menacing look. His face only started to come closer to turning purple as he clutched his arms to his stomach and slumped against the arm of the couch.

I glared at him for a moment longer before saying, "Oh, let it out you big oaf."

He didn't hesitate.

He let it out long and loud, in different tones of giggles and guffaws and I feared that he would wake somebody. He only laughed harder when he saw my look of annoyance. I thought that I had waited a respectable amount of time for him to let it all out, but he just kept laughing and laughing.

I had never seen him so lighthearted and jovial in the very short amount of time that I had known him. I had seen him laugh, though it was usually at me, but it was always sarcastic and cynical and never so…joyous. I never wanted to see him any other way again knowing how wonderful he looked when he was truly happy. Or seeing how much light he let into his already amazing eyes when he let himself laugh.

I tapped my foot, crossed my arms, and huffed and puffed. But he laughed through all of it.

"Well," I said with a big sigh, "While you're having that good, long laugh, I'm gonna get out of here. _Goodnight_." I huffed. "_Again_."

He tried to gargle out a response and it wasn't working out too well for him.

I finally cracked a smile and started to walk away, leaving the laughing lunatic to himself. When I had reached halfway down the first corridor, I heard the laughing stop abruptly and the soft padding of socked feet on the carpet.

"Hey, knickerbocker."

I turned around with a huff. "Yes, All Knowing One?"

He half smiled at the nickname. "I still want to know the reason why you were blushing."

I widened my eyes at him. "In your dreams, buddy."

"You're right. I will be in my dreams."

"Hmm-mmm." I turned on him.

"Sleep well."

"I'm gonna pretend that's not creepy, Stalker."

"You know you love it."

I only shook my head and laughed.

As I neared my door, I heard a faint voice accusing 'Jesus some of us are trying to sleep! Keep the comedy show to your on room!'

Oh dear _God. _

Don't shoot me for taking so long! Life came into play people. Love y'all! REVIEWS=Chips Ahoy! Chewy


	11. Sunday Morning Suing Sessions

**Songs inspiring this chapter: Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 and Sue Me sung by Frank Sinatra in Guys and Dolls. **

**Enjoy the show boys and girls.**

I don't know what made me do it.

I know that I certainly didn't plan on trying anything of the sort. I would never have even thought to have done something remotely close to it in that situation.

She was like snow. Virtuous. Pure. _Untainted._

She was perfection and innocence and fun all wonderfully and comically laced together. I was moody and depressed and annoying as hell, as she had so lovingly pointed out.

I always promised myself that I would never mess around with anything that utterly _good._

And then I have to go and screw it up.

Maybe because she was in her element was what made me call to action. Her eyes were bright and the color high in her cheeks. The sound of her laugh was just waiting to burst from her lips and it only caused her oh so soft looking cheeks to color further.

I just remembered thinking that nothing had ever looked more like home in such a long time for me. Not even Esme or Carlisle or _him_, the one that haunted me of my past could ever make me feel like the world wasn't so bad anymore. And it was all because _she_ was with me.

So I guess I could blame the selfish side of me for taking advantage of that. At first, I stalked her to the corner as a part of our ongoing game that never ceases to intrigue me. But as I became close enough to feel the damp heat of her face seep through to my skin, I was far gone.

Her lips had never looked so pink and inviting before. They were parted slightly, letting out shallow breaths of sweet perfume. I stared and stared at them and they didn't look any less tempting than they had since the moment I had first seen them.

And then….well, you can probably guess what my next action was going to be. And then good old, well-timed Jasper waltzed right in to see the not so pleasant-est thing to see at half past three in the morning. Especially since it was with your estranged best guy friend and long lost best girl friend. And not _girlfriend._ But you know, like a girl who is your friend. Like a chick friend, gal friend type thing. _Strictly platonic_. I told myself that it was completely normal to clarify that with myself.

But…if Jasper had waited just one more moment, he would have witnessed one of the things that even Alice could have never predicted. Her scent, her eyes, her lips just had become too much for me to handle and I was in the process of sweeping down to meet her lips when Jazz's voice had sounded.

I wasn't sure if I felt that he had the best or the worst timing yet.

If I'd had kissed her, then… I don't even know. Looking back on it, I couldn't believe I would have even considered something so remotely thoughtless. Well, I guess the problem that I had was that I hadn't been concerned with anything at the time. All I could think about how soft and supple her face had looked in the dim light of the movie den.

After we had our …less than not awkward confrontation with the whole freaking gang, I thought the silence was going to suffocate me. All I could think about was the fact that it was so possible, and most likely probable, that Bella had realized I had been about to move in to take her sweet looking lips into mine. I knew that my silence was caused by the frantic worrying going on in my mind. But what the hell had been going on inside of pretty little Bella Swan's head at the time? Or at any time, really.

Was her silence a product of surprise? Shock? Repulsion? I had once read in a book that different silences could sound different in all types of situations that were in no way like the ones before it. I remembered going over how it could cry and scream or it could laugh light heartedly. I had never fully understood the concept till then. But the only problem was that I had never listened for the sounds of the silence and had no way to interpret Bella's at this time.

I hadn't realized that Bella had alerted me that she was going to bed at first because I had busy praying to God that He would put mercy into Bella's soon to be taunting. But then, when I looked at her, her charming little features seemed only to hold awkwardness and embarrassment. So she hadn't realized what I had been about to do. I tried to discreetly let out my sigh of relief and answer normally.

But as I went on to drag out the conversation that should have been short and sweet, I realized that I didn't want her to go. And it bothered me to no end.

As she quite literally fell her way out of the room, I couldn't blame anyone but her for making me laugh so hard. Just the way her nose scrunched up and her eyes squinted in annoyance… it was enough to make me piss my pants, but I managed to restrain myself in _that_ department.

I watched her walk away and again taunted her about telling me about what had caused her face to color quite so much. I think that I began to realize that I hadn't laughed so long and hard for such a long time that I found myself quietly laughing every few minutes. Maybe my laugh box had been closed up for so long and now that it was open again it decided to spread out the missed time in little tufts at a time.

Bella Swan had made me laugh after so much silence that I had never even looked into. And it seemed to be so much more significant knowing how the silence sounded so much more joyous combined with the lovely timbre of a good laugh.

But, despite the fact that she had made me laugh again, I would never let myself get that close to losing control again. It just wasn't worth the worry. And besides, she was innocence. She was Snow White, and I was far from becoming any type of Prince Charming.

As the low light flickered on in my lonesome dorm room, I took a glance out of habit at the room adorning the wall directly across the courtyard from mine, just in time to see the light in there go out.

Figures. Just as my light goes on, hers goes off. She was snow, and I was dirt. Polar opposites. It could never, in any universe, work.

I scratched at the stubble on my chin absent mindedly as I got ready for bed for the second time in one night. I certainly didn't feel anymore like sleeping than I did before.

To think, that I had tried to escape the confines of my room from a case of insomnia over the very girl I had run into while wandering about. And now here I was again, fighting off memories of laughing with the same girl.

Figures. But… I had to admit, there could be far worse things to be dreaming about.

bReAk

Bella

Serendipity. It was a lovely word that tickled my throat every time I said it. The first time I had ever heard it was when I was nine years old and I had gone to the ice cream shop in the city called _Serendipity 3_.

I had asked my mom what the big word had meant that I had no inkling of. She had told me 'happy accidents'.

I still didn't get it at the time. But, over time, it was the only way to describe it. The little, lucky things in life that come to us unexpectedly in a certain order that makes us certain that life really does have a purpose and is guided by a higher force. It means that when you're having a crappy day, you know that your favorite song will come on the radio and let you know that things will work themselves out.

It had long ago become my favorite word. It captured the essence of all the fuzzy stuff that I prided myself on being a believer in.

I had dreamed about it last night. I hadn't realized what had jogged my memory back into the splendor of the word until I had woken up contentedly this morning, memories of last night's laughs with Mr. Giggle Goodear. I had started, snapping my eyes open, before letting myself just _be_ and go with the flow. I had been so scared to admit it, even to _myself_. That's messed up.

So, I decided, what the hell. I would shout it on top of rooftops, in the crowded hallways of the school and in the overcrowded streets of the city. All hypothetically, of course.

But, the early bliss of the morning had firmed my resolve that today would be a better day than yesterday was for me, and it started with a confession to myself, my most critical judge.

I liked spending time with Edward. It made me smile when I didn't even realize it, and that was the makings of leading a great life, in my opinion. Experiencing happiness, even when you're not expecting it.

So, critics hailing from my mind, have at me. I like good looking, wallet-stealing, bad-mouthing, giggle-inducing, smart ass Edward Masen.

_So. Sue. Me._

**HEY GUYS I FINALLY CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD!**

**Life's crazy. So sue me. Hope you liked the chapter, I know it's short and messed up but I wanted to get something out. **

**Hit or miss? in the words of Carmelinagunn (I'm in mourning from the end of IEWIS land…**

**Reviews make my days suck a little less than usual.**

**I love you all!**

**All Our Love,**

**The Oxi and the Moron.**


	12. Forbidden Feelings

Songs inspiring this chapter: Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel.

_They say there's a heaven for those who will wait  
Some say it's better but I say it ain't  
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints  
the sinners are much more fun... _

_**(This doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter except it reminds me of my dad, who Charlie is modeled after.)**_

**I'm so terribly sorry about this horrible delay. Trust me, it's me not you. So for the first time in a long time, enjoy the show ladies and gents!**

_-----_

_Okay, just slide by inconspicuously by him. Just because no one else is in the eerily empty lobby, doesn't absolutely, positively mean that-_

"Hey New York!"

_-that stupid Giggles McGoodear over there will see you._

I always seem to have the best timing.

I turned my head in the direction that I had been purposely avoiding looking at to see Edward pretty darn bright eyed and bushy tailed for eight thirty on a Saturday. _Okay Bella, breathe, he's just another human being. He puts his pants on the same as you: one leg at a time._

Okay, that's easy enough to believe. However, does every other human being have eyes that torment you at night (and all other times of the day) and the softest looking hair that you have ever seen… and a voice that sounds like liquid chocolate and…

_Focus, Bella! This is what we've been going over for the past two weeks. Pay attention, or else you'll walk into a doorway again, like yesterday. We wouldn't want that would we? Hmm? Especially in front of Mr. Dreamy eyes and hair that I wanna pull at like there's no tomorrow._

_I'm sorry_, I mentally apologized to the moral side of me while that fun loving Bella rolled her eyes at my whipped ways of being subordinate to one half of my own mind.

Right! Gotta stop with the inner monologues while other people are around; they could go on forever.

I finally found the mind in me to respond. "Oh. Hey Mr. Giggles," I answered snarkily, but softened the blow a bit by making my smile more sincere.

Guy that looks like he walked out of a magazine rolled his eyes at me, but not at sardonically as I had grown accustomed to. In fact, judging from the way he scratched at the back of his head and kept rocking forward on his heels, he almost looked…nervous. How odd of Goodear. "Hardy har har."

"How's life in laughter land? I haven't heard any chuckles coming from you lately. I'm concerned, has a cold front of sadness passed over you?"

Edward rubbed at his face tiredly, a little smile fighting to gain dominance over his lips. "I will never be able to live this down, will I?"

"Oh, sure you will!" I responded brightly. "At least after graduation, you will. Then, you''ll have ten years of perfect, non-annoying, Bella's joke free years. But just wait until our high school reunion," I chuckled manically.

Edward pursed his lips in a way that I read as "Oh, joy."

Then, he seemed to be comforted again as he spoke, "Well, the same goes for you, Miss Secrets." I colored immediately. Damn it!

"I still want to know what you were thinking about last week," he chortled.

"Here, I'll make you a deal: I'll tell you at our reunion." Like hell I was, but I figured that over ten years would give his mind enough time to forget one instance that happened with the crazy girl that crashed the school mid junior year.

He raised an eyebrow. "Deal."

We shook on it, my insides buzzing like a bee when our hands touched.

"I won't forget," he vowed.

"Sure you won't…"

"I won't."

"Whatever you say."

He sighed, but seemed to grasp that, at the moment, he was going to need to be the more mature of the two of us. "So, I haven't seen you all week. Been avoiding me?" He queried with a playful waggle of his eyebrows.

Was I really that transparent? Truthfully, I didn't want to avoid from his presence in the slightest. If anything, I just wanted to learn more about him. However, after my little … revelation last week, it seemed as if being anywhere near him was just bringing the unwanted emotions forward and embarrassing me further.

He made me feel as if, by being around him, I should be ashamed of the silly little crush that I had developed for him seemingly overnight. So, I found it, that it was simply easier to breathe without the object of my girlish dreams lurking over me.

Plus, he only added onto my stress concerning my appearance. Though I was not overly vain about the way I looked, I seemed to always feel as if I was lacking. I was the type of person who would rather get more sleep (as we already know) than getting up super early to make my hair look perfectly coifed. Knowing that he could be looming over any corner, getting my bad angles…made me feel far too obsessed with the way I looked. It just wasn't who I was; to fret over the way I looked based on the opinions of someone I barely knew.

After waiting a moment too long than was expected to respond I cleared my throat. "Pshaw." I waved my hand dismissively. "You wish I cared that much."

He merely rolled his pretty, little eyes and swiped his white hand through his copper colored head. I smiled sweetly at him to soften the blow, and when he smiled back, his eyes held a twinkle in them that I had only seen last Saturday night.

Edward seemed to want to continue on with our conversation but one of the most familiar sounds in the world to me interrupted us. "Hells' Bells!"

I turned to face the thoughtful, slightly watery eyes of my dear old dad. "Dad!" I exclaimed, happier than I thought I would be at our reunion. I hugged at his side and squeezed, taking in the familiar scent of him while he kissed my forehead.

It really had been too long since I had seen him last. I smiled at him, delighted to be in his presence again.

Technically, you were expected to spend weekends somewhere else besides PLB. However, he had suggested that with the chaos that came with transferring schools, I should stay until now. I didn't realize how much I had missed him until I was finally with him. He just didn't seem an absolutely mandatory force in my everyday life, so it never occurs to me that I missed his scruffy face and worn out jeans until I saw him.

A moment after we had stepped apart, my dad, or Charlie, seemed to realize that I had not been alone. His crinkly eyes narrowed significantly at the stranger and straightened up, Chief of Police in full uniform.

"Bells, who's you're friend?"

Crap crap crap crap crap _crap_. What do I do? I've never had to introduce any guy that wasn't Jasper to my parents, so I had no idea what was protocol for this type of situation. Was Edward even my friend, or just a person that seemed to be around at the most inopportune moments?

Edward didn't seem to have any type of inner turmoil as he put on a shit eating grin and looked about ready to charm the pants off him. By now, it was too late to make a painless exit. The damage had already been done.

Anyway, Goodear stepped forward, offering his hand to my dad. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chief Swan. I'm Edward."

My dad stepped forward, offering his hand in return, squeezing far too hard to have been polite and grunted in response. After they released each other's hands, my dad nearly seemed to have forgotten that I was there and folded his arms across his chest. "So, _Edward_," I thanked God in heaven that he didn't make an etiquette faux pas and somehow call Edward something that wasn't his name, "do you have a last name?"

Edward chuckled politely at my dad's horrible idea of interrogation. He seemed to play his cards pretty damn well in front of my dad. What had been wrong with me when we had met that he couldn't offer me half the courtesy he was giving my dad? The question made me frown.

"I'm Edward Masen, sir."

My dad's eyes seemed to widen at the mention of his surname, for some reason. He looked him back over once again, seeming to reassess his figure with the new information of his last name. What did _that_ mean?

"Right, well, uh, Bells the car's out front when you're ready…"Charlie mumbled looking down, leaning forward, and rubbing the back of his head as he made is slipshod departure.

There you have it ladies and gentlemen! The man who brought me into this world.

I scratched my the back of my head, in much the same way that my dad just did, trying to think of some possible way to make a smooth exit.

Edward didn't seem to be ill at ease in the least, smiling in a teasing manner. "So…that went well."

What went well? Meeting the new girl's dad who could have him arrested for just standing there and claiming it was "obstruction of justice"?

And what did it mean that he thought it went well? Did he want it, whatever it was, to go well? What meaning did it have to him that he didn't look like an outright criminal to my dad? Why did he look so god damned pleased?

I finally responded with a vague hum, leaving out the fact that whatever "it" had been hadn't caused my dad to brandish his gun.

I rolled my head around, stretching my shoulders and let an unexpected yawn slip. "Well, my dad's waiting for me…" I attempted to start.

"Of course!" Edward rushed in, in what seemed to be any overly eager manner.

I started to back away." Well, bye."

He took a step in my direction. "See you later."

I took another step. "Okay."

He followed suit. "Alright."

I took another step, then jumped forward as Edward moved forward again. "Stop! Ugh! What is it with you and dragging out farewells? It's _so_ annoying."

I hadn't been paying attention to where my movements had positioned me, so I only noticed that we were in a very similar position as last Saturday nights when I saw Edward's eyes go wide.

"Sorry." His voice had softened, tender and repentant and looking very oddly distracted. His summertime smell overcame me and I felt the most at ease than I had been all week.

It was too much.

I took a few steps away and took a much needed deep breath in before saying in a tender voice of my own, "It's fine. We'll just have to work on it later. We've got time." I smiled and gave a wave as I turned my back and walked towards the glass front doors, hoping against hope that I had the willpower not to look back.

I cheated. Just as I reached the doors, I took a peak back, not expecting to see Edward staring abstractedly in my direction, a soft smile on his face, though he wasn't looking directly at me. He seemed to realize I was still there and met my eyes, panic evident in his own. We both straightened up and wheeled ourselves in opposite directions, me out the door, and him towards the heart of the school.

Once I was in the clear, I indulged myself in a little smile of pleasure that I hoped was the only outward expression of how giddy I felt.

I didn't realize until I was in the car on the highway, halfway to the house, that my parting words might have held more meaning to them then I had intended, and that, I wasn't the only one shaken up by them.

--------

Another awkward moment…

I seemed to be getting a lot of those lately. My dad scratched at his worn and tired face absentmindedly as I gave him the last part of my speech how, despite my living in New York, I was not on ant drugs or in the position to be harboring any STDs. His amount of faith in me astounded me sometimes.

"Look Bells," he started tiredly, "I'm just doing the whole dad shtick where I'm asking all the appropriate questions that a father should know about his daughter, but it has nothing to do with you specifically." At my disbelieving, annoyed beyond belief look he vowed, "I swear," putting his hand over his heart.

I couldn't help but crack a smile and my old Daddio. His wry humor hadn't changed a bit from before I can even remember. Though the jokes seemed far different now that I began to understand what he would insinuate.

Though I rarely got to see him, we talked relatively often, no less than three times a week. But it wasn't really necessary since the phone calls usually consisted of 'Hey Squirt' and the never ending "how's school" topic. I mean, I love the man, but really, did any seventeen year old have any other answer than "school's school"? And it was not that we were callous towards one another, we just never had anything so crucial to say that we needed to call each other about. I think him calling me so often was his conscience's way of not letting his little girl go.

We were just naturally quiet people. We're not unkind or overly serious, but we just tended to let things come out the more natural way rather than push our ideas other people so… _forcefully. _Cough my mother cough Alice cough.

It was amazing to see the completely uneven distribution of genes that I had received. The only thing that I could think of off the top of my head that I got from my mother was my caffeine addiction. Charlie hated coffee.

But I had the same quiet sense of humor, the kind where we have an indulgent little smile when something amuses us and we fell like we're having our own little private joke inside our heads.

We're both ridiculously obsessive creatures. Not the way that my mother is, jumping from one activity to another weekly, if that. My dad and I found something that we loved, and then completely overuse the new object, but we never tended to tire of the thing. Not ever fully.

We both were huge saps, though we rarely liked to admit it. Though, it becomes a little bit difficult to hide that fact after a movie and your face is soaking wet from the insufferable tears. My dad was much worse than I was, believe it or not. He may look like the lean, mean, crime-fighting machine as the Sheriff of Forks should, but he was a major weeper.

Who cries after The Chronicles of Narnia? Really? Really?

We could never keep the salty liquid inside our identical brown eyes. I think they were my favorite feature about him, despite his killer smile that I was still growing into. His eyes, though seen as dull when I saw them in a reflection of myself, always carried a heavy emotion that summed up everything that made up my dad.

Possibly the best thing that I loved about being with my dad was that, since I was practically the living reincarnation of him as a girl, was the fact that I never had to try. Everything was so simple. Almost too simple. He always knew that when we watched a movie, I couldn't not have popcorn. Even when I told him repeatedly that no, I was full, five minutes later a freshly popped bowl of popcorn was sitting in front of me, no matter what.

And he knew how much I loved popcorn. Just like him. I had also inherited his salt and butter addiction too, so he knew exactly how to smother the freshly popped goodness in butter and salt without going overboard. My dad always knew. 'Cause he was my dad. And not for anything in the world, would I ever change anything about that.

Oh, and probably the most annoying part about both of us to other people (besides our stubbornness...hey I'm not stubborn…yes you are!... No I'm not!...) was our obsession with quoting movies or books, either while we watched movies or just randomly.

We were really horrible when it came to the Princess Bride. He and I had seen it far too many times for it to have been healthy that every line, scene, expression were forever engrained in our minds. We were most terrible when it came to the 'My name is Inigo Montoya…' part. We _taunted _each other with it.

But I almost hated to watch with him sometimes because, just before the credits are about to roll, as the Grandfather murmurs 'As you wish', the look on my dad's face had never held such a…_tenderness,_ that it made my head spin.

I think he's thinking about me when he watches that part. How he rarely thought to express it, but it seemed the words that could sum up our relationship. Our locked up 'I love yous' never stood a chance against the words of our relationship.

I knew that I was right in believing that he thought of me when he watched that part of the movie, for every time we meet personally and have to leave, it's what he murmurs to me.

I love my dad. It's as simple as that. Which was why I could never stay mad at him. Like how I was going forgive my dad's awkwardly instigated conversation like it never happened.

'Cause he was the Fezzik to my Inigo. And it will never go… Enough of that….And that's that!...

I sighed, and after giving my dad a sweetly tainted smile, I walked up to my room at his two bedroom house. Walking into this room was like stepping into another time. The times when Gulla Gulla Island and Capture the Flag held my days in their palm like a child with a new toy. It was comforting to know that you can always come back home.

But at what cost?

Though my dad was a trooper, it was impossible not to see the love that he still harbored for my mother. I wish I got to know what type of people they were before I was born. They were both adventurous, from what I've heard, and fun loving, very _laissez faire_ if you will. But my dad had sown his wild oats and was ready to move on while my mom was anything but ready to reach the age of growing up. I don't think she's even really hit it yet.

It hurt me to see that my mom had moved on and found someone while my dad stayed trapped, in a time bubble, unwilling to meet and try and taste and _live _again.

Maybe I should sign him up for …

I've spent far too much time with Alice.

And her wickedly handsome cousin.

Speaking (or thinking, really) of Goodear…

I had no idea what significance his last name held, but I bet it must have been juicy to have affected Charlie in such a way. I'll bet his family probably owned a baseball team or something. That was the only way to get to my dad's heart. With the exception of beating him at a quote face off like I usually did, of course.

It still picked at my mind, though, not knowing the very reason.

I flopped onto the lovingly worn bed, not realizing how much I missed the musky smell the house held until I was back again.

Something crackled underneath the comforter. I flipped over the pillow to find a picture that I made when I was no older than six nestled on the bed.

It depicted me, and my dad sitting by a lake with fishing rods in our hands. I realized that I hadn't gone fishing with him in years. I would have to arrange an outing when the weather was more appropriate.

On the back of the drawing read "to dabdy, lub bells". I had always had problems with my "b's" and "d's". I flipped the page over again, chuckling softly at the big grins that I had drawn on both our places.

I looked around the room again, looking for the perfect spot. There was a good chunk of a memorabilia board open so I tucked the corners underneath the straps and took a step back, admiring my artistry.

Just then, the undeniable smell of buttery popcorn reached my nose.

I grinned. It was good to be back.

**-----**

**I hope the long chapter makes up for all the updates that should have happened. I'm so sorry; I don't have any good excuse (my dog ate my computer…?) Please keep reading; it's gonna get real juicy soon!**

**All Our Love,**

**The oxi and the moron**


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